What The Future Brings
by space.puppy.bcg
Summary: A series of one shots detailing the life of John Shepard and Miranda Lawson after the Reaper war is over. This is an account of the most important stages in their family life, from the hilarious moments of calamity to the difficult moments of sadness and reflection. Direct continuation of my first story - Nearing The End.
1. Chapter 1

_He was running, tearing down the shattered streets of Earth to a specific destination. John knew he had to get there before time ran out for them all. He pumped his legs and arms, propelling himself to his absolute limits._

_A cannibal jumped out from the right, appearing from a ventilation shaft. Without thinking John drew his shotgun, unloading a round into it's face. He didn't stop to check that it was dead, he knew had to keep moving no matter what._

_After another few minutes of running down the long avenue he emerged into a square, one that looked vaguely familiar to John. Thanix missile batteries were strewn around, their crew lying dead in pools of blood next to the vehicles. That wasn't what concerned him though, it was the sight of the other three roads in front that worried John._

_To his left, right, and dead ahead were row after row of Reapers troops, mixtures of cannibals, marauders, brutes, and every other he had ever fought. They advanced down the streets, pouring into the square to surround him on three sides. John checked his shotgun, noticing that there were only two rounds left. He was out of grenades as well, and concussive rounds would only do so much damage. He knew he had to get past them all, but he wouldn't be coming out of this one alive._

_Without warning the Reaper troops stopped moving, all falling silent and perfectly still. The silence was disconcerting at first, particularly unnerving from such usually rowdy beasts. Then John heard a noise, a clicking noise coming from behind him. As it became more pronounced he realised who was making it, John's heart leaping at the only person who it could be – Miranda had come to save him! The clicking sound slowed and eventually stopped, causing John to turn his back to the enemies. He recoiled in absolute horror at what he saw._

_It was Miranda, of that there was no doubt, but she had become something else. Her once beautiful face was contorted into a mask of rage, her features distorted by whatever havoc had been wreaked across her by the enemy. Scraps of grey and dead flesh peeled away from her eyes and her upper neck, betraying the glowing Reaper tech implanted there. Her hair was unkempt around her face, giving the appearance of a wild beast spoiling for a fight. Whilst this was bad, the worst thing for John was her eyes. The striking cerulean eyes were no longer present, replaced instead by cold, electric blue irises that surveyed him cruelly. John couldn't say anything, he couldn't even move. He stood stock still, wishing that he was able to tear his eyes away from the monstrosity in front of him. _

_Miranda raised a hand, he noticed the presence of taloned nails breaking through the skin of her fingertips, and gestured towards him whilst speaking in a voice of mockery._

"_You failed me John."_

_Then her expression turned to one of rage as she descended upon him, charging towards John with a blood-curdling cry upon her lips. As she closed she raised back her taloned right hand, preparing it for the killing blow..._

**1****st**** November 2186 – Crucible pulse + five weeks**

John jolted awake, eyes snapping open instantly. He immediately began to assess his surroundings, checking for any threats. He groaned as he properly awoke, realising that it had only been a dream. He checked to his left, seeing Miranda sleeping safely by his side. She had an arm draped across his chest, gently pressing her body into his side. John looked down at his own form, his body was covered in a light sheen of sweat and his breath came in rapid gasps with his heart still hammering in his chest. He raised a hand to his face, rubbing the sleep from his eyes forcefully.

Slowly John extracted himself from Miranda's arms, rolling quietly out of bed. He walked from the bed over to the bathroom, not bothering to pick up his bath robe. He ran the cold tap on the basin slowly, cupping his hands and splashing the cool water over his face. John looked up, studying himself in the mirror above the basin.

The war had taken it's toll on him, psychologically, emotionally, and physically, and his face betrayed it. He looked tired, drawn out and weary. The dark bags underneath his eyes emphasised that, as well as revealing his recent sleeping habits. John hadn't been sleeping particularly well over the last couple of weeks, he had woken with various nightmares several times over the past fortnight. Each time he had woken Miranda up, and each time he felt more guilty for being such a problem for her. At least he hadn't woken her toni...

"John?" He sighed as he heard Miranda's voice, light footsteps audible as she padded across the bedroom.

"Sorry." John tilted his head to look at her naked reflection in the mirror, dropping it back down shamefully at the look of concern on Miranda's face. In response she walked forwards, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pressing a kiss to his cheek before whispering.

"You never have to say sorry to me."

"I...But I..." He shook his head, slumping his shoulders even lower. He knew that he should be better than this, he should be able to face up to his problems on his own. "I don't know."

"Look, I'm not going to push you into talking, but please don't think you have to keep this to yourself," Miranda rubbed her hands along his shoulders and down his arms. "It was another nightmare right?"

He sighed before replying. "Yeah."

"And?"

John looked up, meeting her eyes with his own in the mirror above the basin. For a second her eyes were the cold blue of the dream before Miranda blinked, the vision in John's mind clearing and seeing them in their normal cerulean colour. He kept his face impassive but inside an argument raged, should he tell her or not? On the one hand he knew Miranda could handle anything, she would take it in her stride and reassure him that everything was fine. However, could he tell her that he dreamt of something that horrific? Looking back over the fate of Cerberus over the past couple of years it had been particularly close to that nightmare being a reality, if Kai Leng and The Illusive Man had been indoctrinated and implanted with Reaper tech then Miranda most certainly would have been.

"Some..." He resigned to keep it to himself, as he had done with all of his other dreams so far. "Some people died."

"OK, when you want to talk then just let me know," Miranda spoke softly, still massaging his shoulders. "Now, come back to bed."

He sighed again. "No use, once I'm up I'm up."

Miranda rolled her eyes, a mischievous grin settling across her face. "Not necessarily for sleep..."

"Heh," John smiled weakly, he understood Miranda's intentions but he couldn't get the image of his nightmare out of his mind. "I'm sorry but I'm really not in the mood."

"John Shepard turning down sex?" Miranda rested her head on his shoulder, leaning into his back. Her tone of voice changed from one of mischievousness to concern again. "Are you sure you're OK?"

"I'll be fine," He dropped his left hand from the basin in front, resting it behind him on Miranda's thigh. "I just need to work it out of my system, an hour of weights should do it."

"No way," Miranda tightened her grip on his shoulders, pressing herself closer. "You're going to overdo it, you spent long enough exercising yesterday."

He shook his head. "I still feel weak."

"You're only a couple of weeks out of Huerta," She ran a hand down his chest. "It'll take time to get back to your N7 fitness, regardless of the upgrades from the Lazarus project."

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." He sighed in a resigned tone once more.

"Hey," She poked him in the ribs, speaking in her old 'Ice Queen' tone. "I'm always right."

At that John laughed, a genuine chuckle. Miranda began to laugh as well, spinning John around from the basin and planting a tender kiss on his lips. They parted after a few seconds, John tucking a stray strand of hair behind her right ear. She smiled at the gesture, placing her arms around his neck before speaking again.

"Well, if you won't come back to bed then I suggest you help me begin packing."

He raised an eyebrow. "Packing?"

"Yep," Miranda let go of him and turned around, sauntering out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom. She added a slight sway to her hips, actually achieving a reaction from him. "I've found us a proper house."

"Really?" He followed her into the bedroom, a bit of enthusiasm entering his voice. They had been living in Anderson's apartment in Tiberius Towers for the last few weeks and, whilst it was nice, neither of them envisioned it as a family home. Despite the damage they had decided that they did want to settle on Earth, and Miranda had taken up the job of locating a house for them.

"You'll love it John," Miranda walked to the side of the bed, picking up one of John's shirts that had been discarded the night before. She slipped it over her head before walking back to him. "Nice and quiet as I you wanted."

He gave her a smile and a quick peck on the lips. John had told her that he was happy to live anywhere, and that was absolutely true, but he had insisted on somewhere quiet and away from prying eyes – especially the press.

"I love you Miri."

She gave him a smile in return. "I love you too, now come and help me."

XXXXXXXX

"So where are we going then?" He glanced over at Miranda as he spoke, watching her pilot the shuttle. She was dressed in a pair of tight fitting jeans on top of some brown leather shin high boots, a white t-shirt with a rather exquisite brown leather jacket over the top. He had to admit that she fitted the role of civilian brilliantly, as well as she had been the mysterious Femme Fatale before. Though she looked incredible in the catsuit, both had agreed it wasn't really suitable for everyday life. Instead it was kept neatly in a draw, ready for 'special nights' as Miranda had put it.

"It's a surprise," Miranda shook her head at John, speaking in a chiding tone. "You'll have to wait and see."

"Fine then." He put a hint of sadness in his voice, playing up as a child would. His tactic paid off as Miranda relented.

"I'll tell you that it's in Italy, you won't get anything else out of me though."

"Nice," John looked over to her and spread his arms theatrically, putting on a pretty poor version of an Italian accent. "Italia!"

Miranda let out a laugh at that. "That's a crap accent John, but yes – Italia."

"Well, at least I know that you're not just taking me to a random mountain somewhere." John gestured to the mountains they were flying over, the immense and snow covered peaks of the Alps spread out around them.

"Like a private science facility? Could you imagine the headlines?" Miranda gave him another glance, flashing a cheeky smile. "Galaxy's saviour disappears with evil ex-Cerberus officer to unknown mountain facility where she has her wicked way with him."

"Heh," John laughed. "It would be funny, though I wouldn't really be bothered."

"Really?" Miranda put a hint of challenge into her voice, raising an eyebrow but maintaining her attention on flying the vehicle. "I'm pretty sure my 'wicked way' would be pretty scary!"

"You've never scared me that much Miri."

"What about just before the engine room?" She countered him quickly. "You gulped rather nervously when I gave you that offer!"

"Well..." John struggled for a reply. Whilst he had been looking forward to that night before the Collector Base for a long time but he had been surprised at how forward she had been outside of the elevator, and how incredibly sensuous she had been. "I was worried you were a lot of woman to handle."

Her head flicked to face him, a hurt look plastered across it. "Are you saying I'm fat John?"

"What? No, definitely not..." John was stammering as he sought to explain, they hadn't had many major arguments yet and he was hoping to keep it that way for a long time. He trailed off as a grin broke out across Miranda's face, realising she was winding him up. "Not funny Lawson."

"You're so easy to fluster, it's actually pretty cute," John huffed, shaking his head at the description. She merely gave him an innocent smile. "But you are right, I am a handful when I want to be."

Then they lapsed into silence for a while, John reclining the leather flight chair and smoothing out his own leather jacket. The vehicle they were travelling was actually a modified Kodiak shuttle that Miranda had procured. Rather than the normal military specifications it was outfitted for civilian duties, primarily the transport of dignitaries or rich politicians. It was a very comfortable place to be in with soft leather chairs in both the cockpit and transport bay, extranet connected televisions, a small area for food preparation, and modified inner workings for a smoother ride. It wasn't a cheap vehicle, in fact John wasn't sure quite how Miranda had bought it.

"How did you afford this Miri?"

"The Kodiak? Just one of many belonging to my father," She shrugged in indifference. "He had a couple dotted about his primary business locations, including the Citadel."

He raised an eyebrow, he was surprised that Miranda would be willing to use her fathers possessions. "So you liberated it then?"

She shrugged again. "Oh, not just that."

"Erm..." Shepard raised the chair back up again. "What else have you...liberated?"

"His entire business empire."

John's jaw dropped, he knew that would be an incredible amount. Henry Lawson was a very, very rich man. "Just how rich are we?"

"Around...Eighty nine billions credits plus billions more worth of assets," She turned and gave him a grin. "We'll never have to work again."

John furrowed his eyebrows, thinking of all the possibilities with that much cash. Though the idea of being immensely rich and never having to lift a finger again was somewhat appealing, he didn't really want that. He wanted a few months of peace of course, but soon he'd have to find something to do.

"That's great, but I'm not sure I would want to do that," He tucked a hand underneath his chin. "I know I'll want to do something in the future, though I'm not sure what."

"Well I wasn't sure whether to mention it...but," Miranda sighed and shook her head. "The council will approach you about being humanities new councillor. Probably not for a while, they'll need to sort out other things first, but they will ask you soon."

"Yeah," He had thought about that before now himself, though had not come up with how he would answer. To be honest he couldn't be bothered to think about that just now, he would consider his options if and when they asked. "Well we'll work that out if and when the time comes. Anyway, when I say something to do in the future I mean something like setting up an ice-cream shop or a café."

"You and me, running an ice-cream shop?" She laughed again. "That would be quite something. However I don't plan on just lounging about either, for a start I've got a science project."

"I knew you wouldn't want to just sit around."

"Yeah, and just to let you know the money is all in your name," She gave him a wink. "I reckon you'll get a tax break for your achievements and I don't want to have to pay billions in inheritance text."

"Good call."

Again they lapsed into silence for another few minutes, watching the terrain fly by. Miranda began to drop the shuttle downwards, descending gradually. Soon she slowed the speed as well, dropping to a very low level. Eventually the shuttle practically stopped, Miranda lowering it down onto the ground and switching on the external cameras to give John his first view of their new home.

"Wow."

The surroundings were incredible, picturesque in fact. To their right was a large lake, about a kilometre from one side to another, and they were placed on it's west bank. John could see pine woods surrounding the lake on the other three sides, a light dusting of snow on top of the canopy. On both the east and north sides there were large mountains behind the forests, their snow capped peaks rising majestically into the distance. The south side slipped downwards, giving an incredible view of a valley snaking off into the distance.

John then turned his attention to the side of the lake they were on – the east side. In front of them, with more mountains rising behind, was a large timber house. It gave the impression of an old hunting lodge, though he suspected that it was built with modern foundations and techniques. The main part of the house had three levels, the top two with balcony's stretching around them and the top floor with an overhanging wooden roof. To the right of the house a large single level garage was attached with a gravel track trailing off down towards the south and out of sight. The garage was easily big enough for the shuttle and a couple of sky cars as well.

John suddenly realised that he had been staring around for several minutes, Miranda intently watching him. She wore a look of anticipation and even nervousness, waiting for him to say something. Despite having changed an awful lot John knew she still struggled with certain issues, and the desire to impress was still a major hurdle for her. As a child she had been expected to please, and that was a habit that had continued into her adult life. He placed a hand on her thigh, giving her a wide smile.

"It's absolutely perfect Miri." He leaned in for a kiss, capturing her lips lightly but not expecting such an enthusiastic return from Miranda's own lips. Leaning back he saw a huge relieved grin across her face.

"I was pretty sure you'd love it," She pressed another button, cycling down the core of the shuttle. "But just wait till you see the inside."

The pair headed out of the shuttle, grabbing a few bags as they left. Two stone steps lead up to the front door, Miranda pressing on a keypad by the oak door. A light buzzer sounded as the locks disengaged, the door swinging open noiselessly and admitting them to the house.

The hallway was luxurious, marble floors with antique furniture stretching back to French doors at the back. About halfway into the room on their left was a large fish tank, reminiscent of the one on the Normandy. John noticed that there weren't yet any fish in it, clearly Miranda was going to leave the collecting to him. Opposite the fish tank was a large spiral staircase heading both upwards and down.

"So Mr Shepard," Miranda dropped the bags down, linking her arm within his own. "Would you like to start with the upstairs or the downstairs?"

"I'll let you decide."

She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before walking, leading him towards the staircase. They headed downstairs first of all, descending one level. On the way down the smell of chlorine caught in John's nose, the temperature rising slightly and lights dimming as they went down. They emerged into a large, warmly lit room. There was a large pool to the right, surrounded by tiled walls and beneath a tiled ceiling. To their left was a glass wall, a gym with various machines and weights visible through the other side. The atmosphere of the room was rather romantic, and John had to admit that the whole area looked rather inviting to him.

"This is just awesome."

"I thought so, but this isn't an excuse for you to go nuts in the gym!"

He sighed. "Meh, if you say so."

"I do," She took his arm again, wheeling him around. "But you missed the other door."

"Which one?"

"This one." She took him back to the foot of the staircase and indicated a thick metal security door, just to the right before the stairs began. She swiped her palm over the keypad, the door opening to reveal a rather surprising sight.

"Wow, so this is where the magic will happen." He looked around in amazement, checking out all of the complex equipment laid out neatly on the desks. Glass cabinets lined the walls, filled to the brim with various chemicals and substances. He didn't dare go in yet though, he knew she had probably ordered everything immaculately to her preferences.

"Sort of," Miranda cocked her head, checking her equipment around the lab. "Not quite as... romantic... as the normal of conceiving."

"Hmm, I'm sure we can get around to that as well though." John nudged her as he said this, earning a smile from Miranda in return.

"Oh there will be," She steered him around, walking back out of the lab. "Now lets look around the rest of the house."

John had to admit that the rest of the house was just as perfect, the exact kind of place he would have chosen for them himself. The downstairs had a large, functional kitchen with smart cupboards lining the walls. There was a big dining area behind it with an oak table and chairs in the centre, a door from that area leading to the back of the hallway. The back of the dining area had floor to ceiling glass windows in a complete contrast to the traditional front, giving a view of a garden patio behind the house with the beginnings of the mountain range behind that.

On the other side of the house was another three rooms, the first of which being the living room. It was a large but cosy room, a thick red carpet along the ground. It was another room with an intimate atmosphere, caused by the soft lighting and dark furniture. A large holo screen was on the far wall, several leather sofas angled to view it. Around the room were wooden shelves, mostly empty but with room for lots of possessions such as holo-vids and books. Miranda had clearly put thought into how to deal with his kleptomaniac tendencies.

The next room along was a far smaller study, a couple of desks at the end of the room. The walls in here were also lined with shelves, presumably for the storage of files. It seemed like an ordinary study at first but then John noticed a ring in the middle of the floor, indicating the presence of a QEC.

"We have a QEC in the house?"

"Yeah," Miranda gave him a look of indifference, shrugging as she spoke. "We're just that cool."

John raised an eyebrow at her. "Erm...What was that?"

"Well, I..." Miranda turned a slight shade of pink before sighing. "Fine, Oriana's been trying to get me to use stupid phrases like that, attempting to ''normalify' me as she put it. A disgraceful abuse of the English language if you ask me."

A massive grin spread across John's face, it was a pretty funny concept. Miranda narrowed her eyes at him, prompting him to move swiftly out of the room and into the final one of the downstairs floor.

The back room was a sort of recreation room, dominated by one big object in the middle of the room. It was a large piano like the one in Anderson's apartment, but it was clearly much older. The wood was a glossy back and John saw the words Steinway printed in gold lettering across the key lid, a name that he was sure he had heard once before. Miranda walked up to it, giving him a smile.

"It's beautiful isn't it."

"It's impressive," John scratched the back of his head. "But I wouldn't know the difference between this one and the one in the apartment."

"Trust me, this one is amazing," Miranda softly pressed down a few keys, the exquisite sound filling the room. "It dates from the late nineteenth century."

"Wow," He was amazed that it survived for so long, in fact he was amazed that the entire house was in such a pristine condition after the war – he made a note to ask Miranda about that later. He turned his attention back to the piano. "Now I can play my one piece in style."

Miranda laughed. "You sure can, though I was thinking of starting to play again as I did use to enjoy it."

Then she led him upstairs, taking John around the first floor. It contained five bedrooms, all of a decent size, with two bathrooms. They were outfitted like the rest of the house, a combination of modern and traditional styles.

Finally she led him to the top floor which contained three rooms. At the top of the spiral staircase was an open landing area surrounded by bookcases. To the right was a large, spacious bathroom with a jacuzzi and shower unit. To the left was the master bedroom, yet another beautiful room.

The bed was on one side of the room, lying underneath skylight windows similar to the ones on the Normandy. On the other side was a pair of large wardrobes, John in no doubts as to how quickly Miranda would fill hers. At the far end was a set of French doors, opening out onto the balcony he had spied outside the house. The view was simply stunning, incredible in every way, and light streamed into the room from the weak winter sun. Miranda came and stood next to him, leaning into his shoulder as he slipped an arm around her waist.

"So, is it OK?"

"Miri, it's perfect," He squeezed lightly on her hip, earning a kiss on the cheek in return. "Just what we need."

"Good," She extracted herself from his grip, walking backwards away from him with a cocky grin on her face. "Now, shall we break the bed in?"

XXXXXXXX

John stood outside on the balcony of their room, leaning on the rail in front of him. His gaze was focused towards the south, staring down the valley and at the occasional lights that were dotted away from the house. He was deep in thought, mainly about the dream from the previous night. Without the immediate fear from the experience he was able to think more clearly, to rationalise everything he had seen. Bad dreams were nothing new to him, he had been through plenty after Akuze and during the war, but it was the specificity of the dream that worried him. He had never dreamt about losing particular people that were so close to him before, it was only since the end of the war that he had done this. And now almost every night brought a new horror, depicting the treatment of his friends at the hands of the Reapers. He knew he should do something, but he had no idea what. Maybe it would pass in time though, there was no need for him to concern Miranda with something that was likely temporary.

John was so deep in thought that he didn't hear the doors behind him opening, footsteps padding across the balcony towards him.

"John," He turned to see Miranda heading over to him, dressed in only one of his own shirts. She had been showering, but damp hair hardly detracted from her sheer radiance. She placed herself by his side, wrapping an arm around him. "It's cold out here, come inside."

"Yeah," He had to admit it was rather cold, he was only wearing a t-shirt and boxers. He hadn't really noticed it during his silent reflection though. "I was just thinking."

"About?"

"Well," He paused. "The house. Was it your fathers?"

She studied him for a moment, clearly seeing through his flimsy attempt at masking his actual thoughts. But true to her words earlier, Miranda didn't push the subject. "No, it belonged to another businessman who died during the war. If it was my fathers I would never have wanted to live here."

"Fair enough," John knew that any house that Miranda had stayed in as a child would probably have been a place of bad memories to her. He remembered a question he had made note of earlier. "How come this place is in such good condition? And the village down there seems to be fully functioning as well."

"It's an amazing story actually," She shook back her hair, replacing several strands that had come out of place. "As soon as the villagers knew about the Reaper attack the mayor gathered them in the town hall, almost all two thousand of the population went. He said that people could leave if they wanted to but otherwise people had to follow the advice the local police gave."

John could guess where this was going as Miranda continued.

"About three hundred people left to make a mad dash to the nearest star port in Milan, and none of them have been seen since. Everyone else here survived," John sadly shook his head, it seemed that very few people managed to escape Earth as the Normandy had. "Essentially the villagers cut themselves off from the outside world, severing communications and utilities, not using any sources of light during the night time, and setting a guard up with the police and also the local farmers who could shoot."

He furrowed his eyes. "The fact that they were that switched on is incredible."

"Well, desperate situations can bring out both the best and worst in people," He nodded, John knew all about those sentiments. "Of course it helped that they were so far out of the way of the towns, but their actions meant the Reapers never knew they were there."

"Anderson said something similar," John recalled one of his conversations with the Admiral. "He said the Reapers were focusing on the major population centres, that the countryside was a better place to lie low."

"Absolutely, though they would have gotten around to moving into the countryside eventually," Miranda cupped his jaw, gently moving his head to gaze at her. "But because you did so well they never got the chance."

"Thanks Miri." She gave him a quick kiss before letting go, returning her attention to the view in front of them.

"The even more amazing thing is that there are a large amount of similar stories from all over the world, survival against the greatest odds," Miranda leaned back into him. "It just goes to show that we are a great species, despite the beliefs of other races."

"Yeah, guess you're right."

"Uh-hu," They stood for a few moments in silence, just holding one another. Then Miranda shivered slightly, making John feel suddenly guilty. He was about to suggest going inside when she beat him to it. "Now, I have a cooker to master – annoyingly I may need your help."

He couldn't resist having a little jab at Miranda's lack of domestic skills."Ha! I guess I better make sure you don't poison me!"

"Shut it wise guy!"

**A/N So I'm back guys and really looking forward to writing this fic. Just a few things to mention really. Firstly, I set the date of the Crucible blast as the 25****th**** September 2186 – Not sure why but it just seems like a nice day for it. All of the timings in this (and the last chapter of NTE) run from that day. Secondly, I have a plan for this fic and I know exactly how I want it to start and end BUT not very much else is actually set in stone. If anyone is reading this story at some stage and has an idea they would like to see included then I'm up for discussion and trying to get it in, just let me know. **

**This kind of fic might not be everyone's cup of tea, but hopefully you guys enjoy it and I haven't read any similar ones for this pairing. As with my last work, your views are really important for me – whether you think it's drivel or a decent piece of work please share your thoughts.**

**Should be updating about weekly, so I'll be getting on with chapter 2!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Thanks for the reception of the 1****st**** chapter guys, I wasn't thinking so many people would like it straight off! **

**This chapter was going to be completely different but then I realised it would have been confusing to read. So this chapter is just a small link chapter, with another larger chapter half done already. I might need to do these every once in a while so things don't just seem random.**

**Can I also just mention that any medical matters I mention in the story may not be perfectly correct, I did look up benign neoplasm but as I am not any form of doctor most of it went way over my head!**

**11****th**** November 2186 – Crucible pulse + 7 weeks**

Miranda scratched her head as she looked over the pile of data pads arrayed in front of her, furrowing her brows yet again as she attempted to unravel the various problems she had to fix. Her benign neoplasm was not a simple condition to correct at all, as with everything of her fathers – there were many variables to consider. Primarily there was the physical problems of the tumour itself, and any damage caused by removing it. Then there were other more general problems, a main one being the hormonal imbalances she had identified. Yes it was a complicated issue, but so was death and she had beaten that herself.

Currently her focus was devoted to the hormonal imbalances, she had already established that she would need to go on a trial program of injections before even beginning to think about removing the tumour. She had planned to start today so Miranda double checked the graph on one of the data pads before deciding on a course of action, standing up and heading over to one glass cabinet. She opened it and reached inside, removing a long needle and a small vial of Oestrogen. She pulled out some cotton wool from a draw below, placing it on to the main work bench with the syringe and vial. She rolled up her t-shirt, Miranda had decided a lab coat wouldn't be needed for the provisional work, and filled the syringe before placing it low on her abdomen, three inches below her belly button. As she pressed the needle into her skin the door of the lab opened, a sweat soaked Shepard entering. He stopped in his tracks as he saw Miranda injecting herself, eyes slightly wide at the sight.

"Erm, Miranda?"

"Yes?" She emptied the contents of the needle whilst speaking, not looking upwards. Then she removed it, pressing the cotton wool lightly against the entry point as she placed the syringe back on the desk.

"Never mind."

"No," She looked up at him, giving Shepard a questioning look. "What's up?"

"Well," He walked slightly closer, eyeing up the syringe. "It's just I want to be here to help you, I mean I can't do anything scientific but I don't want you going through anything alone."

"It's only an injection John, hardly the most painful of things." She eyed him up, looking over Shepard's body. He had been in the gym again, wearing training shorts and a tight t-shirt now covered in sweat. Miranda knew he was desperate to get back to his former fitness, but of course there was his clear ulterior motive. She knew Shepard was trying to drown out his nightmares by exercise, maybe he hoped that tiring himself out enough would mean a dreamless sleep – something that of course was not true. It was painful for her to watch him at night, when he was in the grip of one of these nightmares, and although Shepard had tried to hide it from her she knew it was more than just general dreams about the war. Miranda had heard him calling out the names of his closest friends and even her own name, the sheer terror in his weak calls breaking her heart. Despite the difficulty he was going through she had to wait for him to volunteer the information, for now all Miranda could do was gently reassure him. Any force applied would just cause him to close up to her, something she really didn't want to happen.

"Still, I want to help if I can," Shepard walked over to a cabinet, looking over the chemicals inside with a curious expression. Miranda gave him a smile before walking back to her chair, binning the slightly bloodied cotton wool on the way. She began to look over the data-pads in front once more as he spoke again. "I remember the last time I was doing science in a lab."

Miranda spun the chair around to face him, noticing he had taken a seat on the workbench. She loved hearing stories of his youth for two main reasons, only one of which she had revealed to Shepard. Firstly it was purely because she had never had much of a childhood of her own and hearing these stories from him gave her something from a real past to delight in. The other reason, of which she had not revealed, was an educational one. Despite her desire to be a mother Miranda did have concerns of her ability to raise a child, but she knew that John Shepard was the best person she had ever met. Therefore she had deduced that if she could do half as good a job of raising a child as Hannah Shepard had done then, between her and John, they would raise a healthy family. These stories gave Miranda an insight into how he was raised gave her more knowledge than any of the parenting books she had read. Although it might not be related directly to mothering, Shepard in a science lab sounded like a rather intriguing story.

"So, what did you blow up?"

"Nothing actually," He gave a small chuckle. "It was when I was fifteen, mum was stationed on Arcturus for some officer training for half a year. I was with cadets but as well as the military stuff we had to do academic lessons in the afternoons, really it was just to keep all of the kids out of trouble."

"So they shoved a bunch of Alliance bound adolescents in science classes?" A comical image of a young John Shepard alongside a young Ashley Williams, James Vega, and Jeff Moreau in a science lab came to mind, causing her to chuckle lightly as well. "Sounds like a bad plan."

"It wouldn't have been if they had sensible classes, though of course we were not. Anyway, we were doing respiration in biology, and we spent a couple of lessons on fish gills," He gave her a grin. "We were given the opportunity of doing a fish dissection."

"Ah," Miranda raised an eyebrow. "Do I want to know what followed?"

"Well, it started off with the discovery that you can sword fight with fish. It was pretty painful actually," Miranda's jaw dropped, that was one of the most ridiculous thing she had ever heard. Her expression prompted Shepard to continue. "Then we realised you can play catch quite effectively, though it kinda turned into dodge ball."

"I'm just..." Miranda shook her head as she searched for something to say, an incredulous look across her face. She wasn't quite sure whether to laugh or not, it was so far both hilarious and disturbing. "Well, I'm just speechless really, did you ever do the dissection or were you all chucked out?"

"Yep we did it, though it was grim to say the least," He shook his head, plastering a look of mock sadness across his features. "Blood flying everywhere, bits of hacked apart fish all over the desks. To be fair I was one of the few trying to do it properly."

Miranda gave him a look, she hadn't expected such an absurd revelation from him. "So you started your mass vendetta against fish when you were fifteen?"

"What vendetta?"

Miranda raised an eyebrow. "How many different sets of fish died on the Collector mission?"

"Well, I was busy."

She raised her other eyebrow. "And the mass murder of several hundred fish when you blew up that sushi restaurant."

"That was the other me!"

"Whatever John," She gave him a cocky grin, Miranda loved the easy banter between them. Somehow it was just natural, containing no trace of malice or seriousness whatsoever. "I need a cup of tea, you want one too?"

"Yeah sure," Miranda walked up to him, Shepard placing an arm around her shoulders as they left the lab. "But I didn't kill all my fish. I kept one lot alive during the entire of the war."

"You bought an aquarium VI," They headed up the stairs from the basement level, Miranda shutting the lab door behind them before returning to Shepard's arms. "That's cheating."

"If you insist, but what about the one lot that survived the Collector Base?"

"They only survived because Chambers fed them before and I fed them afterwards," She gave him a kiss on the cheek as they came into the hallway, heading around to the kitchen. "But keep on dreaming about your successes as a good owner."

"I will, but there was something weird about Kelly's habits with feeding them."

"Really?" Miranda extracted herself from his grip, walking over to the kettle and filling it up. She had always thought there was more than just something weird with that women, for a start her willingness to jump in bed with whatever species walked through the door. And of course the woman was obsessed with Shepard like many other women, and even some men, in the galaxy. True to his caring nature John hadn't put the woman off, instead being his usual charming self towards the infatuated yeoman. Personally Miranda didn't like Kelly Chambers, and she wasn't exactly sure why The Illusive Man had insisted for her to be placed on the Normandy – Of course the honey trap had crossed her mind, but fate had gotten in the way of that plan.

"Yeah," He grabbed a pair of mugs from the drying racks, depositing a tea bag in each before turning his attention back towards Miranda. "She said she was going to feed them when I was away, but the only times she did were literally just after I returned to the Normandy."

Miranda smirked, she already knew the answer to that one. "John, she was trying to catch you in the shower."

His eyes widened, a confused look settling over his face. "You think so?"

"Oh come off it," She rolled her eyes. "It was bloody obvious."

"Well, I wasn't even tempted Miri."

"Oh?" Miranda pushed herself off the counter, slowly sauntering over to him with a cocky look. She stopped right in front of him, placing a quick kiss on his lips. She had no doubts that he wasn't tempted, Kelly wasn't his type, but Miranda did like to occasionally show her possessiveness over her man. "Good."

They shared a grin before she turned back around, walking over to the now boiling kettle. As she began to pour out the water into the mugs a bleeping noise was heard behind her. She placed the kettle back down and looked behind her, seeing Shepard studying his open omni-tool.

"What is it?"

"A message. From Alliance command," He looked up, appearing slightly puzzled. "Here, take a look."

He tapped a few buttons on his own omni-tool, Miranda's bleeping a second later. She opened up the device, bringing up the message.

_Commander Shepard,_

_We trust you are enjoying your vacation from service. _

_On 25__th__ November, in the Citadel Council Chambers, there is going to be a ceremony for the Reaper War and it's veterans. It is for both the remembrance of the fallen and a celebration of the achievements of the galaxies forces, in particular the actions of the Normandy and her crew. We would like you to be there to receive a special commendation alongside those that served with you commander, as a small token of our immense gratitude. _

_For your information, versions of this message have been sent to all former and current members of the Normandy with the exception of Miss Lawson – You will obviously be showing her this. _

_Sincerely_

There was an entire list of names and signatures at the bottom, surprising Miranda that it was addressed from the entire Admiralty Board. A small footnote was attached below.

_Shepard,_

_I know this really isn't your kind of event, but it would be appreciated it if you were to come. You deserve a moment of appreciation like this, especially considering how you were treated by the media, Council, and even the Alliance after Bahak. In addition I was also sure you would like the chance to pay tribute to Admiral Anderson and those that died alongside him. _

_Hope you are enjoying retirement (Not 'vacation from service')_

_Hackett_

Miranda finished reading the message and looked up at Shepard, trying to gauge a reaction from him. He was staring intently at his omni-tool, re-reading the message, before looking up to her and speaking.

"What do you think?"

She raised an eyebrow. "That you need a new suit."

"I was meaning about whether it's even worth going or not." Her attempt at a light-hearted reply was clearly lost on him.

"What? How can you say that?" Miranda softened her tone slightly, realising that she sounded a little too harsh. "Surely you would want to be there, for Anderson especially."

"Well..." He dropped his head slightly, adopting a look of shame. "You're right as ever."

"What are you concerned about?" Miranda approached him, laying a hand on his arm.

"This thing is meant to be about remembrance, but it'll just end up as glorification of what I've done," He shook his head, scoffing slightly. "And a chance for all the politicians to be seen brown nosing us, so they can impress their public with how close they are to the 'galaxies saviours'."

"I understand," She really did, Miranda knew Shepard's disdain for the glorification of his achievements was immense. He was proud of his successes – who wouldn't be? - but he wasn't the kind to shout it from the roof tops, or ram it down the throats of everyone he knew. He was correct that there was likely to be a lot of that at this ceremony, and the politicians would indeed be playing their own games. "But maybe you should just grin and bear it."

"I can't Miri, I can't just sit there receiving applause whilst so many others fought just as hard, while others died," He narrowed his eyes, scowling into no where in particular. "I was just in the public eye."

"You were also the one who destroyed the Reapers, the one who stopped the Collectors and Sovereign," She rubbed his wrist absent mindedly, reassuring him lightly. "You deserve recognition and so does the team, though pomp and circumstance isn't necessarily what we are all into. I can't see Kasumi the Master Thief wanting to be presented with an award in front of the entire of C-Sec."

"I guess not." He still looked a bit glum so Miranda leaned forward, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"You know, if you're so concerned about it turning into something like that then maybe you should make sure it doesn't happen," She leaned back again, turning towards the forgotten tea. "Damn it, I overdid the tea."

Miranda removed the tea bags, placing them in a small bin on the workbench. She was about to reach down to the fridge for milk when she felt arms wrapping around her waist, Shepard lightly pressing kisses on the back of her neck. She smiled at his display of affection, purring contently.

"And what is this for?"

He kissed her again before replying. "Being brilliant and an absolute genius."

"It's a habit I guess," She paused, placing her hands over his own that rested on her stomach. "Though there is another reason for going to the Citadel though."

"Really?"

"There's an expert in Huerta, his name is Dr Richard Walters," She used her foot to open the fridge by her legs, biotically pulling the milk carton up and onto the worktop. "He has made lots of breakthroughs in the field of infertility in general, I would like to meet up with him and get his opinion on my case."

"Sounds great," Shepard reached around her sides, pouring the milk into the mugs himself. "I suppose we could do both at the same time."

"Exactly what I was thinking."

**A/N Proper chapter coming up soonish, please leave your thoughts on this anyhow guys.**

**BTW, the fish dissection thing is a rather grim and true story from my GCSE biology class... lets just say some members had no lunchtimes for quite a few weeks...**


	3. Chapter 3

**24****th**** November 2186 – Crucible pulse + 2 months**

"What about this one?"

"No John, that won't suit you," Miranda sighed as she shook her head, flicking through yet more suits on the rack in front of her. She loved spending all of her time with Shepard, but he was a nightmare for some things – especially shopping. On the next rack up another Tuxedo caught her eye, Miranda pulling it off the rack and studying it. "Try this one on."

"Aye ma'am ." He gave her a cheeky wink, taking the suit from her and heading over to the changing rooms. She rolled her eyes as he disappeared from view, a content smile settling on her face as she slowly wandered along the aisle she was currently in.

The condition of the Citadel was unsurprising to Miranda, it was relatively untouched during the war. Now the majority of the station was in full working order with only a few areas still with damage left. Shops and cafés were fully open for business, though some did not contain their full stock as production facilities on the majority of planets were not yet functioning. Many of the shops in the Presidium, such as the one they were currently in, manufactured on the Citadel and so were already back to their pre war state.

Miranda walked to the end of the aisle, heading around to the right and into the next. There were a few other people in the shop, including a group of off duty marines in fatigues in the shoe area. She noticed the stares of some of the marines, one in particular that was eyeing her up shamelessly. Though Miranda was not in her catsuit she was in the skin tight jeans that had become her norm, and they still grabbed a lot of attention. The marines seemed to move on from her as she moved away, Miranda walking in the opposite direction.

She moved slowly down the aisle, inspecting the shirts in front. As she did so Miranda heard footsteps behind her, turning her head slightly to see the interested marine from earlier. The marine was very youthful, looking no more than twenty to her. He had plastered a cocky smile across his face and walked as if he was an A list celebrity. His group were visible a few aisles away, all of them with highly amused grins on their faces. Years ago she would have merely sneered and walked off, but she couldn't be that mean to the kid now. Shepard would merely raise an eyebrow and see where the conversation leads, and that was what she decided to try.

"Excuse me ma'am," Miranda swallowed the laughter that came to her immediately, he attempted to sound suave and manly but failed epically. She composed her features, raising an eyebrow and placing a neutral expression on her face. The marine didn't continue straight away, he had to tear his eyes from her breasts before he did. "I couldn't help but notice a beautiful lady all on her own here."

That was a rather stupid line to use on her, ut was hardly likely that Miranda was there on her own, and if she was she was likely to be buying for a partner. She didn't say anything in return, willing to let the young man make a fool of himself. Her silence prompted him.

"Well, I think it's ridiculous," He leaned against the shelf behind it, attempting to look smooth and at ease. In fact it made him look like pretty ridiculous. "I think you need a capable man in your life."

"Oh really?" Miranda raised an eyebrow again, she was sure she was looking at a boy not a man. And how could you be more of a capable man than John Shepard? And wasn't he being a bit risky by reckoning she was single? In the corner of her eye she saw his companions, now attracting attention with their prominent laughing.

"What a beautiful South African accent you have there," Miranda held back a huge guffaw of laughter, clearly this soldier wasn't much of a scholar. "And I think you might be interested in the fact that I am a veteran of the Reaper war – I've killed Reapers you know."

She crossed her arms under her breasts, cocking her head slightly with a grin. He was pretending that he had killed a Reaper, something only a certain John Shepard had actually done. It amazed Miranda that this guy thought that he could make her believe a rank and file marine killed an actual Reaper, everyone knew how hard. There was very little else he could say to dig himself into a deeper hole, and when Shepard came back it would be particularly amusing for her. "And?"

"And..." His eyes darted around as he thought for something to say, and then he preceded to successfully dig himself into a bigger hole. "And I was stationed on the Normandy, as part of commander Shepard's ground team."

"Miri, what do you..." Miranda began howling with laughter internally, Shepard's timing was impeccable as ever. John trailed off as he saw the marine snap bolt upright off the rail in surprise, a surprised expression on his own face. The comrades of the young marine were pretty much rolling on the floor, howls of laughter filling the shop and drawing bemused expressions from other customers and staff.

"Hey baby," Miranda sauntered over to Shepard, really overdoing the sweetness in her voice and the swing of her hips. She plastered a passionate kiss onto his lips, throwing an arm around his waist dramatically. Afterwards she leaned backwards, stroking the lapel of the suit. "It looks perfect."

"Thanks," He gave her a quizzical look, not really understanding what was going on and why she was acting so strangely. "Whose your friend?"

"Oh, you tell me." She gave him a grin before turning to face the marine who was now a very bright shade of red. He looked down, staring at his feet as he replied quietly.

"He wouldn't know me."

She gave the marine a challenging look. "I know that."

"I'll be going now." He was about to turn around when Shepard began to chuckle, clearly the penny had dropped.

"Were you trying to chat up my girlfriend marine?"

"Erm..." The soldier rubbed the back of his neck, actually in a way that reminded Miranda of John when he was nervous, and looked away from Shepard. His face grew an even pinker shade, surprising Miranda that it was possible for that to happen.

"He was on your ground team," Miranda leaned into Shepard a bit more, drawling slightly. "Apparently."

"Really?" Another grin broke out on Shepard's face, with genuine amusement. "Nice try soldier! But try not to tell that to someone who worked with me on the Normandy."

"I'm sorry sir," The marine gave a salute, albeit a half hearted one, giving an apologetic nod towards Miranda. She just gave him a smirk in reply as he spoke. "I'll be going now."

With that the marine turned and left, heading straight out of the shop rather quickly. The group with him was still in fits of laughter, giving enthusiastic waves over to Miranda and Shepard at the same time. The young marine completely ignored the torrent of jests from his friends, giving them a scowl on the way out. Miranda looked to Shepard, seeing a bit of a smirk on his face.

"I hope you weren't too mean to him, he was only a kid."

"I was only toying," She gave him a kiss on the cheek, whispering into his ears with a bit of a purr. "I could eat guys like that for breakfast and still have room for you."

"You cruel, cruel woman."

"Anyway, I was serious about the suit. It's great," She gave him another kiss. "Now I'll try not to get hooked up by anyone else whilst you change."

"Good!"

She smiled as he walked back to the changing rooms, heading after him to a couple of seats just outside of them. Shepard was only gone a few minutes before he returned, the suit across his arms. They headed over to the pay station, Shepard having to stop to give an autograph to the shop assistant by the stand, before leaving and heading out into the shopping area outside.

Outside in the Presidium they walked along hand in hand, taking in the sights around them. But Miranda noticed the sight of the pair of them was being taken in by many others around them, something she was still uncomfortable with. Being watched by a group of randy marines was irritating for her, but being scrutinised by the general public to see if you were a suitable partner for the galaxies greatest man was almost terrifying for someone as private as Miranda.

Shepard clearly noticed her discomfort, giving her hand a light squeeze and speaking reassuringly. "Just smile and ignore them Miri, they'll stop watching soon enough."

"I'm trying."

"At least people have some respect these days," He chuckled lightly. "Well except for marines of course."

"I suppose there are far fewer hostile stares."

That statement was indeed true, whilst she was being examined it seemed to be out of genuine curiosity and respect rather than outright enmity.

"I suppose we can thank the Alliance PR department for that."

Shepard nodded. "Most definitely."

They were referring to recent events in the media, especially from reporters such as Emily Wong. Now that the initial shock of both the Reaper war and it's end had worn off people were asking questions and the political pressure on both the Council and the Alliance had mounted quickly. In a move to regain public trust the Alliance had released all of the information about the entire journey of the Normandy, from the SR-1 on Eden Prime to the very end of the war. Clearly the Alliance Brass had hoped that a policy of honesty and responsibility would regain public trust but instead it had only enraged the public further. People were shocked that members of Cerberus, professional assassins, and psychopathic mass murderous were prepared to put their lives on the line to defend the galaxy from the Reapers whilst the Alliance sat back and did almost nothing.

Now everyone knew the story of the Normandy and her crew members, and public support for Shepard and his crew had rocketed. People were willing to forget that Miranda had been the second in command for a terrorist group and that Shepard had worked with the organisation because of how far they had all gone for the galaxies inhabitants. Now they were respected and reputable.

In fact the only reason Miranda received any glares was from various females who wanted Shepard for themselves or wanted to ensure he had a woman who treated him as he deserved. And Miranda had no intention of letting go of her man, nor treating him in anyway other than what he deserved.

She came out of her revere to notice Shepard had cunningly directed them to a pet store. His eyes were on the exotic fish swimming in the window, though soon his playful gaze turned to Miranda. He gave her a lopsided grin, clearly pleased with himself.

"You could have had the fish tank removed."

"Hmm, I suppose so," Miranda linked her arm within his, cocking her head as she studied a particularly striking Thessian Dartfish. "But you did like the fish on the Normandy, and to be honest I thought they were quite nice as well."

"Well then, lets get the newest additions to our family."

Miranda rolled her eyes again, only John Shepard would consider a fish a family member.

XXXXXXXX

"So, I believe that you could continue the hormone treatment and then remove the tumour," Doctor Walters clasped his hands, resting his elbows on the desk in front of him. "Though how we go about minimising the damage from the removal is something we would need to work towards."

"Yes." Miranda nodded her head, studying a data-pad with a set on scans on it. They had been at Huerta for several hours now, much longer than she had anticipated. Initially she was only going to have a preliminary discussion with the specialist, but the hospital was not so busy. They had been able to use the advanced scanning equipment and so had much more to work over, meaning their meeting had continued well into the evening. She was pleased with the headway they had made together, Walters did know what he was talking about and had achieved an impressive portfolio of success in his thirty year career.

"That is something we can both work on in our own labs," Walters lowered his bald head, bright green eyes flickering across the desk and settling back on Miranda. "Though you are welcome to return here if we require more scans."

"OK," She gave the doctor a genuine smile, turning off the data-pad and turning her head around to look for Shepard. He was sat on a couch at the back of the office, thoroughly engrossed in a large medical book. Miranda smiled as she noticed the title of the book – 'Pregnancy: A complete guide from conception to birth'. It was a title written by Walters himself and Miranda had concluded that it was a very accurate and informative read in her research. He didn't notice her stare, something that often happened if he was so absorbed in a piece of literature. "John, you ready?"

The book slowly lowered revealing his face with a rather concerned expression. He looked slightly pale in fact, causing Miranda to become a little worried herself.

"Are you OK?"

"You definitely want to go through with this?" Miranda's eyes widened in shock at his quiet question, was he really having second thoughts about their future? And if he was, then why hadn't he mentioned anything before now?

"What are you talking about John?" She kept her voice even, trying to gauge the situation for herself and not overreact.

"It's just..." He turned the book around, presenting a page to her entitled 'Birth complications'. "I know that the majority of women are fine, but you have these additional problems and I don't want anything bad to happen."

"Oh, John," Miranda stood up, walking over to him and placing a hand on his shoulder lightly. She understood his worries immediately, he couldn't really follow all of the scientific jargon or the work Miranda and Walters were doing. And that was before looking in a book with some rather horrific pictures and information. "You don't need to worry about these things, honestly."

"But..."

"Mr Shepard," They both turned their attention to the interrupting doctor. "I can see how you have reasoned but you really don't have to worry. The complications in the book are impediments with labour, Miss Lawson only has complications with conception."

Miranda nodded to the doctor's words, adding to his explanation. "The risks I will face in labour, if we can cure my problems, are the same as any other woman. In fact they are probably lowered because of my genetic tailoring. I have a stronger body than other women."

He sighed, lowering his head. "Sorry."

"Your worries are understandable," Walters walked around his desk, handing a set of data-pads to Miranda as he passed by. "And if you need any clarification then all you need to do is contact me, though Miss Lawson knows most of the answers herself."

Shepard nodded, standing up and shaking the doctors hand. He still looked a bit out of sorts, but maybe he was slightly reassured. Miranda shook the doctors hand as well, thanking him for the considerable amount of work he had done for them. Then they left Huerta, heading out through an entrance on the upper levels into the Presidium once more.

XXXXXXXX

Miranda was very comfortable. She was happily nestled in Shepard's arms on the sofa of the Citadel apartment, resting across his chest with his arms encircling her stomach. They were both looking at the holo-screen in front of them, but Miranda wasn't really watching it and she suspected that Shepard wasn't either.

"You know you really don't have to worry John."

"But I do," She felt his arms tighten around her slightly, almost in a possessive nature. "I can't have anything go wrong, not after everything we've been through."

"And nothing will go wrong," Miranda rolled out of his arms, grabbing the remote for the holo-screen to switch it off and straddling Shepard in one swift move. He stared straight up into her eyes, Miranda staring straight back. His eyes were remarkable to her, ever since Project Lazarus had begun they had intrigued her. They were always full of character, whether that be of his insatiable curiosity or cheeky playfulness, but often there was a darker expression that could only be seen if you knew just where to look. It was a look of hollowness, of one who had seen too much. She laid a hand on his cheek, rubbing lightly with her thumb. "Trust me."

"I do." He sighed lightly, moving his arms to rest on Miranda's thighs. He still looked unsure so she gave him a reassuring kiss on the lips before speaking again.

"Stop thinking of the worst case scenarios all of the time."

"I do want this Miri, honestly."

"I know you do, and imagine the child of our own at the end of this. A perfect little baby of our own," Miranda smiled as she thought about that, picturing a family scene of their own. She yearned for it, and she knew Shepard did too despite his worries. "What little risk there is is worth it."

He nodded, studying her again. Miranda gave him a cocky smile, remembering something she had read in a book.

"And my sex drive will most likely go up."

"Really? I'm not sure I could survive that," She laughed at his reaction, pleased that he was smiling and giving him another kiss. "But won't it be weird?"

She raised an eyebrow, pouting comically. "What, you think you won't be attracted to me when I'm pregnant?"

"Not that, but I wouldn't want to do any damage to the baby. I wouldn't want to poke it."

Miranda stayed silent for about a second before bursting out in uncontrollable laughter. She collapsed onto his chest whilst continuing to laugh rather uncharacteristically, unable to contain herelf. The funniest part was that he actually appeared rather serious, though his scientific knowledge was completely dire he was still an intelligent man – could he really believe that? A minute past before Miranda could speak, lifting herself back up to grin at him.

"That can't physically happen John."

"Well..."

"I know you think you're a manly guy, but you're not that long," She paused at the view of his mock hurt face, rolling her eyes at him. "What I mean is no one could physically do that, regardless of how well...endowed...they are."

"Challenge accepted."

"Hilarious John," Miranda replied dead panned, rolling her eyes before rolling off Shepard. "Now come to bed, it's getting late at you're going to be grumpy enough at this service tomorrow as it is."

He sat up and swung his legs off the couch, shaking his head as he replied. "There's a difference between being dubious and being grumpy Miri."

"I know," She walked up to him, holding out an arm and pulling him to his feet. "But don't be such a cynic just yet, it may surprise you."

"And Conrad Verner might become a SPECTRE."

**A/N Well I was expecting this to be out a lot quicker, but stuff came up, and be a lot longer but actually this kinda works as a set-up to the next chapter pretty well. **

**Also a question for those of you that write on this site - does it matter if posted documents run out of time on the system? Don't really want the first few chapters of my last fic just disappearing! Many thanks if you can let me know on that.**

**Thanks again for all your comments guys on this, keep them coming!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Just an advanced warning, I decided to put a bit of smut in the beginning. I'll be doing this from time to time in various chapters when I reckon it's appropriate. I will put up a warning when there is, though this is rated M some young people may be reading this when they shouldn't...**

_Shepard was walking through a vaguely familiar room, somewhere that he was sure that he had been to before. It was somewhere he did not like at all, a sense of fear gripping him at the sinister familiarity of the place. Still he pressed onwards, clutching the Revenant rifle in his arms slightly tighter. _

_Shepard turned right into a large room, noting the carnage inside. Upon closer inspection he realised what several shapes were on the ground – piles of mangled bodies. The closest were corpses of Reaper troops, horrifically mangled and broken. Moving on he was stopped by a disturbing sight, another body but this time a familiar one. It was Samara, the Justicar's elegant body torn apart from the waist down. The sight of such a great warrior and friend laid low was troubling for him, if she was dead then others could be as well. Suddenly a great sense of panic gripped him, he had to find the others._

_He tore his gaze from the body of his friend, walking down the room swiftly. Shepard picked up the pace, running through the room and passing through a large set of doors at the end. They slid open automatically, Shepard entering a small elevator. It took little time to ascend, stopping after only a few seconds, and letting him out on the next level. John dropped his rifle at the sight that greeted him._

_Next to the entrance of the lift were two bodies lying next to each other. One was unmistakably the body of Tali, lying still by his feet. The faceplate of her suit was cracked with several claw marks, purple blood splattered on the inside of the glass. The body next to hers was Liara's, another set of claw marks across her stomach with blood trailing from the wounds._

_Shepard swallowed the bile in his throat, forcing himself to walk on through the room. The bodies of Thane, Mordin, and Legion were lying in one heap, all with varying wounds. Mordin's body was utterly mutilated, torn apart as if by a gigantic explosion. The areas of exposed skin on his body were covered in angry burns, blood slowly oozing from the scabbing skin. Thane's body was in less of a state, having one neat stab wound in his chest. There was a slight trickle of blood from his chest, dripping slowly down his torso. Legion's body was a complete contrast, it possessed no injuries but was simply inert – completely lifeless. John didn't want to stay in this place, he had seen enough horrors already, but he had to carry on. Perhaps some of the others were still alive._

_He moved onwards, now completely unarmed, and headed for another set of doors. He passed through and emerged into a control room of sorts, the smell of blood assaulting his nostrils once more. The first bodies were those of Jack and Grunt, both with sever gunshot wounds across their bodies. They were slumped against desks just beyond the doorway, shotguns lying next to them. Just beyond the desks were the bodies of Kasumi and Zaeed, both sporting similar injuries._

_Shepard shook his head in disbelief and complete confusion, why was his squad here alone? Why wasn't he with them? _

_He was jolted from his thoughts by the sound of gunfire, coming from the final set of doors ahead of him. He hefted Grunt's heavy Claymore off the floor and ran, sprinting towards the loud sounds. Entering the next room he saw a group of cannibals ahead of him, firing at an obscured target. He pumped the weapon several times, creating holes in the back of the cannibals and dropping them all. Then their target was revealed, causing John to once again drop his weapon._

_He ran past the hole riddled and bleeding forms of Kaiden Alenko and Ashley Williams, he even glanced over the dismembered body of Garrus by the fallen cannibals. His eyes were only focused on the collapsed form of Miranda ahead of him, crimson blood streaming from various wounds across her torso. Shepard dropped to his knees, raising her head upwards. He was relieved to see that she was still alive, though her gaze was unfocused as she tried to smile at him._

"_John?" Her voice was slightly weaker than normal, even a bit shaky._

"_I'm here Miri," He gripped her hand with one of his own, cupping her face with his other hand. "I'm gonna get you out of here."_

_Her gaze focused on him, Miranda's other hand coming up to caress his cheek."I love you John."_

"_Hold on Miri," He looked around her body, searching for the best place to lift her from. He turned his eyes back to her face, realising they had closed. "Miri?"_

_There was no sound in reply, only silence._

"_Miranda?" He shook her body lightly, trying to coax a reaction from her. He raised his voice slightly. "Miranda?"_

_Now he panicked, searching his armour for any spare medi-gel. There was none so he turned back to her, shouting her name._

"_Miranda! Wake up!"_

**Chapter 4 – 25****th**** November 2186 – Crucible pulse + exactly 2 months**

Once again Shepard awoke drenched in a cold sweat, panicking as he regained consciousness. He sat up in the bed immediately, trying to process the dream he had just experienced.

"Hey, calm down."

He jumped at the sudden voice from his right, mainly due to the fact that he was in the confused state between dream and reality. It took Shepard a few seconds to work through his muddled thoughts before he realised that no one was dead, that it was Miranda who had just spoken to him.

A hand was tentatively laid across his arm, applying gentle reassurance to him. "John?"

He looked to his right as his name was called, seeing Miranda perfectly safe by his side. She was sitting cross legged on the bed in one of his shirts, watching him closely with a concerned expression. Shepard immediately felt guilty, he hated that he was still such a burden even though a couple of months had passed since the war.

"Did I wake you?"

She gave him a wry smile. "Shouting tends to do that."

"God, I'm sorry," He raised a hand to his head, rubbing his eyes harshly. John hadn't been sure of whether he had been shouting in his sleep in his nightmares, though now he knew the answer. "How long have you been up?"

"About twenty minutes."

"This isn't right," He swung his legs off the bed, sitting on the edge with his back to Miranda. "It shouldn't be like this."

He felt a pair of hands gently on his back, rubbing along his neck. Miranda's voice was as gentle as her touch, lightly probing with a question."Shouldn't be like what John?"

"It..." He paused, stopping himself from saying anything else. There were more important things in the galaxy than his bad dreams. "It doesn't matter."

With that he got up, grabbing his bath robe from the side of the bed and walking straight out of the room without another word. He needed to get this out of his system, and the pull up bar and punch bag in the downstairs of the apartment would do perfectly. Shepard only got as far as the upstairs living area before a light touch on his arm stopped him, making him pause in his tracks.

"Don't shut me out John," Miranda turned him around, cupping his jaw and forcing him to look at her. "Or at least don't shut everyone out. You need to get through this, and it can't be done alone."

"I..." She interrupted him.

"It doesn't have to be me if you want. Samara's very wise, or you could talk to Garrus," Miranda's eyes darted around as she spoke, Shepard noting the fact she looked everywhere except at him. "Even Kelly Chambers could help as she's a professional, just someone John – I hate seeing you in this state."

Suddenly Shepard felt really guilty, realising how difficult this must be for Miranda. She was still new to the concept of lasting relationships – though she could have fooled any stranger with how supportive she was – and so was probably highly concerned that he was keeping things from her. Knowing Miranda she was probably blaming herself for his distance at times, and that was simply not the case, despite her claims at not being able to comfort she was very good at it.

"I know, it's not you though Miri," He took hold of her hands, now holding the attention of her eyes with his own. "You've been brilliant."

"I've been wanting to wait until you're ready to talk on your own, but it's getting concerning now," She sighed. "Come with me."

Miranda turned around and began to walk, still with one of their hands clasped together. She took him back to their bedroom, letting go of his hand and sitting down on the bed in front of him.

"I've got an idea," She patted the bed next to her. "Lie down here, on your front. Get rid of the bath robe."

He did as he was told, shedding the bath robe and walking over to the bed in his boxers. Shepard lay down on his front, resting his head on a pillow at the head of the bed. He felt movement next to him as Miranda positioned herself over him, resting her knees either side of his hips. For a few seconds nothing happened but then there was a familiar buzzing sound and sensation, growing more pronounced rather quickly.

Before he could ask anything Miranda began her idea, massaging his back in a circular motion. Her touch was enough to relax his body but her biotics added an extra layer of relaxation, causing all of the muscles in his back to loosen up completely. He felt himself both fully wake up and begin to feel sleepy at the same time, his body revelling in the incredibly relaxing stimuli.

"Is that OK?" Her question was voiced tentatively, John knew that some people didn't like the feeling of such intense biotic power.

He exhaled deeply before responding. "Incredible Miri."

They fell into quietness again, only the light buzzing of biotics and Shepard's gentle moans audible. Miranda continued her ministrations for another few minutes before slowly coming to a stop, dismounting his body. As she stopped John felt completely at ease, more relaxed than he had felt in a long time. He slowly rolled onto his side, Miranda slipping into his arms next to him. He gave her a tender kiss on the cheek, receiving a smile in return.

"That was something else."

"Do you feel relaxed?"

"Most definitely."

"Calm?"

"Yeah."

She turned in his arms, fixing her cerulean eyes on his own. "Calm and relaxed enough to talk to me?"

He didn't say anything at first, just maintaining eye contact with Miranda. Shepard blinked first, averting his eyes from her piercing gaze. He didn't want to tell her about his dreams, to concern her that he dreamt of fantastical stories of her death, but could he really deal with this himself? He had tried that for the past couple of months and, to be honest, it hadn't worked. In fact Shepard knew he hadn't really tried to deal with whatever was going on, and it was past time that he got his act together.

"I keep on having similar nightmares," He paused, clearing his throat before continuing. "It's always about the war, Cerberus or the Reapers killing people...close to me."

"Including me?" Miranda's inquiry was voiced softly but without any trace of fear. Shepard paused before answering, not quite sure what to say. But he knew Miranda couldn't help him if he hid details, and he knew she would be strong enough to deal with it.

"Always you."

"Oh John," Miranda hugged him closer, pulling his head onto her chest and holding him closely. He felt safer in that position, protected by her even. She pressed a kiss to his head, lightly stroking the back of his head. "I know it doesn't feel fake at the time, but they're only dreams. I'm here, and I'm not going anywhere else."

"But sometimes it's worse, sometimes you're..." He sat up suddenly, now speaking rather rapidly. Now that he had broken the barrier of talking he couldn't stop himself. "Sometimes I see you, not dead, but indoctrinated – just like Kai Leng and The Illusive Man. With Reaper tech all over you. Sometimes I wake before anything happens, sometimes I wake as you kill me," His voice died away to a hoarse whisper. "Once I even killed you."

Miranda sat up next to him, again pulling him closer and leaning his head on her shoulder. The simple gesture was enough to calm John back down, comforting him more than any words could. They remained like that for about a minute before either of them were ready to say anything. Miranda was the first to speak.

"I suspected it was something like this," She kissed him lightly on the temple. "But it's good that you told me yourself. It's a step in the right direction."

He sighed in response. "It won't stop these dreams."

"You're right, it won't. But it will help you to come to terms with everything in time."

"Maybe," He sat up out of her embrace, once more swinging his legs over the bed though this time he did not have his back to her. Though he did feel slightly better to have revealed some of his nightmares, he wasn't ready for a full dissection just yet. "Do you mind if I go and take a shower?"

"That's a good idea," She moved to the edge of the bed herself, intertwining her fingers with his own. "We can take this at your pace, I know you won't want a full cross-section just yet and I get that."

"Thanks Miri." Shepard turned his head, giving her a lasting kiss on the lips. He tried to convey his appreciation through the kiss, Miranda clearly understanding and replying by deepening her own intensity. After a few more seconds they broke apart, each giving the other a loving look. Then he got up off the bed, walking over to the bathroom.

"John?" He turned in the doorway at the sound of his name. "I want you to make me a promise."

"Sure."

"Promise me that you won't bottle any of this up, every time you need to talk to me then do. I can help."

He waited a second or two before answering. There was no way that he could turn this down, in the long run he knew Miranda was going about this the right way. "I promise."

"I love you."

He gave Miranda a smile in return. "I love you too."

Then he turned into the bathroom, shedding his boxers and moving underneath the shower. He turned on the water, setting it to a slightly higher temperature than normal, and then rested his arms against the wall in front. The hot water felt rejuvenating as it poured over his body, allowing him to relax even further.

Without warning he felt smooth arms snaking around his waste, hands immediately going for his crotch. A smile graced his lips as Miranda's own worked around the back of his neck, her hands expertly massaging his member to erection.

"Not even a minute Miri, someone's very enthusiastic"

"Oh?" Her tone was one of playfulness as she slipped around past his own body. Miranda placed herself right in front of him, spreading her folds with one hand whilst giving him a very alluring look. "I just need something now to get me through all of the speeches later."

He raised an eyebrow, giving her a smirk of his own. Though this was clearly part of her plan to comforting him, he was more than happy to play along with her. "Well I'll be gentle then, wouldn't want you to be in pain sitting down for all that time."

Miranda laughed as he moved closer, running his hands all over her body. He stopped for a second after he kissed her on the lips, staring straight into her mischief filled eyes. It was a similar moment that he had experienced many times before, when he realised just how lucky he was to have Miranda Lawson in his life. She was entirely perfect for him, able to be emotionally strong and comforting him in one minute before being incredibly sensual and playful the next. There was no doubt that he would not have made it through the last couple of years without her, and he fully intended to show her how much she meant to him. Not just in that moment, but for as long as they had each other.

Miranda rolled her eyes at him as she often did when he was clearly in one of those overly romantic moments, firmly taking charge of the situation. She lined herself up with his member and then lifted her legs, wrapping them around his body. His arms immediately went behind her back, lifting her up by the small of her back. Then Miranda lowered herself down on his manhood, shuddering lightly as she was slowly filled. When their hips met she stopped, raising an eyebrow and mastering her bodies natural urge to shake with the intense pleasure.

"Show me what you've got then Tiger!"

XXXXXXXX

Shepard was struggling to keep focus on the service taking place, his mind constantly wandering. It was mainly because his gaze kept flicking to the large screen behind the main stage, continuously shifting through a slide show of images. Many of the pictures were ones that Shepard himself had sent to Hackett from his own collection for the service, depicting various scenes on both the SR-1 and SR-2. Currently it showed an image of Javik with Mordin in a headlock, Shepard smiling as he remembered what had happened. It was just before securing the Cerberus bomb on Tuchunka and, when Mordin had discovered a real Prothean was aboard, the Salarian had been desperate to get some samples. Javik had not taken it well.

The picture then changed, to one not from the Normandy. It was one of Admiral Anderson, taken a few years prior when he had been made Councillor. John studied the face of the Admiral, recalling their last moments together as well as the many other experiences they had shared. The two had been close for as long as he could remember, Anderson having been great friends with Shepard's father. They had fought together for a long time and when his friend died Anderson had stepped in to help where he could, acting as the father figure John had lost. And now, like so many others, he was gone. Lost to the Reaper's and Cerberus.

And now they were meant to be honoured as the 'glorious dead'. Well, not in those exact words, but that was pretty much what the Council were spinning with this service. To honour the dead and the living that had served the galaxy so dutifully. It was a ridiculous notion to Shepard, the Council had never been particularly caring for humanity or the majority of those they were actually honouring.

But so it was that he found himself sitting at the front of hundreds of assorted species, made up of dignitaries, politicians, generals and admirals. He had hoped to arrive slightly early, mainly to meet up with some of the crew members for a drink before hand, but in fact he and Miranda had arrived a bit late. It was their fault to be honest, getting slightly carried away with each other in the flat. Of course he didn't mind that, but he had received a few knowing glances from several audience members – including his mother – when the two had rushed up the aisle to the front.

So far there had been many speeches from various dignitaries and they had begun the long process of giving out medals. It wasn't just his own crew that were receiving accolades, but many other leaders and warriors as well. Though the intention was for everyone who lived through the war to be praised, he couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for being treated as one of the select few.

Over the last twenty minutes they had begun to award the medals to the Normandy crew. It had gone pretty well so far, with the only hiccup being Kasumi's turn. Clearly she hadn't been keen to be seen in public and on live broadcast, and the Councillors had to inform the audience that she had actually stolen her award the previous night and replaced it with a note describing, in detail, the different types of underwear that John owned. Thankfully they didn't read the details of the note out, but he did make a note to reprimand the sneaky thief for that.

He had also been concerned about the reception Miranda would receive from everybody there. Though they were all in her debt, and they knew it because of the recent revelations by Alliance Command, he was sure that some people would still be hostile towards an ex-Cerberus operative. In fact he had been completely wrong, she had been met with the same response as Garrus, Ashley, Liara, and all of the others. And she had looked incredible, wearing that red dress that suited her so well.

But since then more speeches had taken place, causing John to slip into his own little world of remembrance. As a result he didn't hear his name being called, only realising that all eyes were on him when Miranda gently touched his arm. He was still in a bit of a daze when his body began to move, standing up and walking up to the Council members ahead of him. There was thunderous applause as he shook hands and collected a large, shiny medallion from Sparatus.

The Turian inclined his head slightly, speaking across the cheers of the crowd. "Perhaps you would like to say something commander."

"It's just John now Councillor," He couldn't stop himself from saying that, Shepard had spent the last couple of months correcting people. He wasn't in the military any more, and he wanted people to know it. And he wasn't to keen on speaking to everyone, but now they were watching with expectant eyes. "But I'll speak if you want me to."

The Turian nodded, stepping backwards and taking a seat next to the other Councillors. Shepard turned the other way, walking over to the lectern and looking over the crowd. There was absolute silence in the Council Chambers, everyone waiting for him to speak. He wasn't so sure where to start, it was usually a speech to pull people through the coming storm that he had to make – not a 'victory' speech.

"Well, thanks for this medal guys," He looked over towards the Councillors, giving them a forced smile. "It means a lot, but I feel a bit out of sorts being up here."

He turned back to face the audience, swallowing nervously. What could he say to them, what were the boundaries of what could be disclosed? The entire of the galaxy was watching through the live broadcast, but what should they be told of? Shepard's eyes found Miranda's, and she wore a look of understanding and empathy for his position. But she gave him an ever so slight nod, a small but reassuring gesture.

"I suppose I shouldn't actually be here, in front of you all. By rights I should be dead, but that's due to the amazing woman sitting there," He pointed over at Miranda, she went slightly red at the change of attention. Soon all eyes returned to him though. "But I've heard some strange things since the end of the war, people have said that if I hadn't been brought back then the war would have been lost – that I was the only one was able to end it."

It was a debate that had been raging for the last couple of months, many people believing that no one else could've saved the galaxy. Maybe there was a degree of truth to that idea, but John reckoned that it was impossible to say something like that. He decided to take the speech in that direction.

"And I think that isn't true, I don't think that it's possible to say that. Yes the Normandy was responsible for some of the victories of the war, but could we have done that without the millions of other people fighting?" He leaned forwards slightly, surprised he had the audience hooked on his every word. "Whilst we were running around there were, not just soldiers, but everyday civilians holding the line, fighting the terrors that the Reapers were creating. Those are the true heroes of this war, and they must not be forgotten."

"I don't want the oversized legacy of the Normandy to overshadow the truth, of what really won us this war. In fact that's why I wasn't too keen on coming to this thing at all. I'm proud of what my team has achieved, they went above and beyond for everyone, but we didn't win the war. It wasn't just us, and it most certainly wasn't the Alliance or the Council," He tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice as he said this, though from the looks of shame crossing the faces of one or two of the Admirals showed that he failed. "It was the hard graft and sacrifices of individuals, from those who lead the efforts like Admiral Anderson, to those who picked up a rifle for the first time to defend their homes, to those who pulled out all the stops to keep some kind of economy going."

"Remember them and what they sacrificed as we begin to rebuild, we have this second chance that so many other races did not. Lets not waste it by going back to the petty ways of before, people didn't die in their millions for that to happen," He stood back slightly, drawing himself up to his full height. Again all eyes followed his movements. "Lets do better this time, we owe it to the heroes. Thank you."

He stepped back from the lectern, heading back down to his seat. There was silence for a few seconds as everyone processed what he had said, but soon people began to clap. It was respectful at first, but soon became louder before eventually it became a standing ovation. He gave another nod of appreciation before sitting down next to Miranda. She leaned into him, giving him a peck on the cheek while whispering.

"Well done John, I think people might finally be beginning to appreciate just how lucky we are to have you."

He didn't say anything in reply, instead just intertwining his hand with hers as he watched the Council members standing up to speak again.

XXXXXXXX

"Well that was something different wasn't it?"

The assorted group nodded at Garrus' statement, all agreeing that the day had been a something new for all of them. Now they were in a drinks reception, Shepard standing by the bar with Garrus, Liara, Ashley, and Tali. All had procured drinks, many were on their second, though Garrus was keeping an eye on Tali – her record with alcohol wasn't brilliant.

"It's nice to be appreciated," Ashley placed her drink down on the table next to her, folding her arms at whilst looking at Shepard with narrowed eyes. "But what was all of that about in your speech?"

"What was about what?"

"About the Alliance not winning the war, I mean they..."

Shepard cut off Ashley, not harshly but firmly. "They didn't win it, in fact they hindered the effort by ignoring us for pretty much four years."

"I know that, and I'm not defending the Brass. Their actions may have coast the lives of millions," She sighed, gesturing with her hands. "But a hell of a lot of Alliance personnel fought and died in the war."

"I wasn't having a go at the personnel, only the brass. That was my whole point," He downed the remaining beer in the bottle he held, placing it next to Ashley's glass. "I don't have any problems with the fighters, hell even a couple of the Admirals are all right, but it's the ones who played the political games that I can't ever forgive."

"Uch, I'm sorry," Ashley looked down. "I still can't get my head around everything in the last couple of years. Why people did what they did..."

"Ash, don't worry about it," He gave her a wry smile. "I think a lot of people will take time to work out what happened."

An awkward silence settled on the group. They all knew Ashley was still struggling with the aftermath of Horizon and beyond, but to be honest Shepard was a bit fed up of her inability to move on. He had forgiven her already, and she was one of his oldest and closest friends. If only she could move on herself.

"So Tali, how are things on Rannoch?"

"Surely your sources would let you know," The young Quarian leaned forwards. "Or have you been too busy with Javik to keep up with your work?"

"That is simply not the case," Liara did flush a slight shade of purple, she was still getting used to the jesting she received from the squadmates over her new relationship. Everyone else thought it was actually really sweet, the Prothean expert who had dedicated her life and passions to the race was now in love with one of them. "I am still re-establishing my network, there are some gaps."

"I don't believe that, but things are going very well thank you," Tali took a step back and leaned into Garrus. "We haven't got around to building a proper house yet, my Admiralty business has been rather arduous, but we have begun construction of settlements."

"It's amazing how quickly it's happened, but that's the Geth for you," Garrus shook his head, chuckling. "Despite killing thousands of the tin cans, they are incredible to have on your side."

"That's good news," Liara turned to Shepard. "And I can't wait to visit your house on Earth John, the pictures you sent and what I've seen on vid-cam look picturesque."

"It's beautiful there, really quiet. Miri picked it," Shepard glanced around him, finding Miranda across the crowd. She was in deep conversation with his mother, and both seemed to be happy. He was glad his mother approved of Miranda, he had been concerned that she would take a stance because of her Cerberus ties. He turned back to his friends, all watching with amused expressions. "Really homely."

"Is there a family on the cards?"

He looked back to the Turian who had voice the question, thinking of how to answer. "In the future, but we're getting settled right now."

"Fair enough, and Liara what about you? I'm sure Javik would make an interesting father."

"Don't make fun Garrus, he would be brilliant," Liara suddenly realised what she had said, hastening to correct herself. "But of course that would be a long way off, and probably not our thing."

The group laughed at the Asari's backtracking, enjoying the idle banter. They continued the conversation for several minutes but Tali suddenly interrupted them all.

"Hey, isn't that Conrad Verner?"

"Where?"

"Over there!" She pointed to a group of C-Sec officers at one end of the hall, a human giving the rest orders. When that human turned around they saw his face, indeed revealing Conrad Verner.

"Well, I'll be damned!" Shepard's mouth was agape, he was amazed the guy was still alive let alone a C-Sec officer.

"Oh you didn't hear?" They all turned to Garrus, a smug Turian grin on his face. "A friend of mine told me that he was given an officer post, something to do with heroic actions when the Reapers tried to take the Citadel."

"That is just..." Shepard shook his head, grabbing another beer from the table in front and taking a big swig. "Nuts, absolutely nuts."

**A/N Kasumi idea provided by Magery, too funny to pass up on!**


	5. Chapter 5

**23****rd**** December 2186 – Crucible pulse + 3 months**

"I can't believe it, have we really cracked it?" Miranda looked up at the vid-screen in front of her, smiling enthusiastically at Doctor Walters. The man smiled back, nodding quickly.

"We have, all that needs to happen is this operation," Miranda nodded now, this operation was the final step in curing her infertility. It was to remove the final obstacle, the tumour itself, and repair the physical damage it had caused. "And you are free in February next year?"

"Oh we're free whenever, and the hormone program will have been concluded by then."

"Exactly," The doctor nodded as he closed the file on the desk in front of the screen. "I will contact you with an exact date nearer the time."

"Brilliant, thank you Doctor," She paused, a heartfelt smile on her face. "You have no idea how much this means to us."

"I'm glad to be of assistance, goodbye Miss Lawson."

"Bye," The vid-feed blacked out as the doctor disconnected, Miranda leaning forwards and turning off the screen in front of her. As the screen went blank she noticed a reflection in it, Shepard was standing behind her in the doorway to the lab. She turned around to look at him but had to force herself to prevent any laughter from escaping, he was still in his thick outdoor clothes and drenched from head to foot. Miranda did raise an eyebrow though, he had gone out at about ten that morning saying he had stuff to do and clearly had only just returned. It was now five in the afternoon. "You look...wet."

"Uch, don't mention it," He glanced around the lab before settling his gaze back on her with a smile. "But it's all in good cause."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I've got something to show you upstairs," She didn't move at first, just watching as a dripping wet Shepard smiled enthusiastically. He rushed forwards, taking her hands, pulling her from the chair and lifting her up into his arms. "Come on!"

"John, put me down," She wasn't able to stop herself from laughing now though, her plea being completely half hearted. Her main concern to be honest was that she was now a bit wet. "Actually don't bother, but you have snow in your hair."

He hadn't actually had his hair cut since the end of the war and it was now it was an inch of rather thick and bushy growth. Miranda liked the look on him, it actually gave him a bit of a more youthful image. Not that he looked old at all, of course. She lightly brushed the snow out of his hair as he carried her out of the lab and up the stairs.

"So, what do you reckon?"

At his voice Miranda turned her head in his arms, looking over the hallway. It was so full with boxes and bags that she could hardly see the floor, though one item grabbed her attention immediately.

"Why is there a tree in my hallway John?"

"Your hallway?" He laughed. "The house and money is in my name, and so it's my hallway."

"Yeah, but you're mine so by extension I own the house," Her reply was playful, but she returned to a mock threatening tone. "But you dodged the question about the tree."

He placed her down – finally – and carefully picked his way past the items to the tree. Shepard bent down to pick it up, resting the stump on the ground and smiling happily.

"Well, it's a Christmas tree Miri."

That was when it became obvious, all of the bags and boxes in the hallway were filled with various decorations of sorts and the tree was clearly a conifer. It surprised her though, she had been so wrapped up in her project over the last month that she had practically forgotten about Christmas. After all, it wasn't as if Miranda had ever actually celebrated it before. Well, that wasn't strictly true – John had tried to hold an impromptu Christmas on the Normandy a year ago, but the incident at Bahak had cut that brutally short.

"Erm...Earth to Miri?"

"Oh, sorry." She zoned back into the room, but only partly. One part of her mind was racing around, if he had gone to the hassle of getting all of this stuff then he would most definitely have gotten her a present – and she had gotten him nothing yet.

"It's a little bit late in the month, but we should put it up tonight," He placed the tree back down on the ground and walked back to her. "There are a few more boxes in the skycar, do you want to get the tree in the stand while I get them?"

"Erm...?" Miranda gave him an apologetic look, she didn't really know what to do. There had been Christmas trees and decorations at her fathers house, but they were just put up by the servants for show. Miranda had nothing to do with them, and she had never done anything in her adult life for Christmas either. A knowing and sympathetic look crossed John's face as he put an arm around her waist.

"Sorry, I forgot," He pointed at the tree. "If you get the tree out of the mesh then I'll give you a hand when I've got the other stuff."

"OK, sounds good."

He gave her a kiss on the cheek before pulling the furry hood on his coat over his head. Then he walked out of the door, a freezing cold blast of air rushing into the house before the door was closed. Miranda stayed where she was for a second, looking at the mass of items around her. Though the whole concept of Christmas was a bit foreign to her, it was rather exciting to get to do yet another new thing with John. She knew he wasn't actually a Christian, but very few people were these days. Christmas had been heading towards just being a marketing exercise for businesses since the twenty first century and since the discovery of the Mars Archives that transition had been completed. Though Miranda had a different feeling about how John would celebrate it, indeed he had tried to create a family feeling the previous December on the SR-2. He was all about family, of course.

She carefully picked her way through the hall to the kitchen, going into a draw next to the sink for a pair of scissors. As she did Miranda glanced out of the window, watching Shepard out of the window. It was pitch black outside but he was illuminated by the exterior lights. He was currently struggling through the couple of feet of thick and fluffy snow with a rather large box, but he was heading towards the garage and not the house. In fact, when she caught sight of his face, Miranda thought he looked rather shifty. Then she got a rather big shock as the box in his arms jumped, almost falling out of his grasp. She continued to follow his comical journey until he reached the garage, disappearing inside as she went off to open the tree. As Miranda set about slicing the ropey material she deduced that the box probably contained her present and, though her curiosity was peaked, forced herself to forget about it.

He returned after several minutes, arms full with more bags. Miranda perused through the closest boxes to her, examining the decorations Shepard had gotten hold of. They were actually of high quality, a variety of golden candles, bright red Santa Clause's, and even some rather sweet reindeer.

"Where did you get all these from John?"

"Luigi took me to another village about twenty minutes flight away this morning, it has a really nice little seasonal shop," She rolled her eyes at the mention of Luigi, that guy had a habit of getting into their family life rather often. The man was a stereotypical Italian restaurant owner, large in stature, voice, and heart. He was very welcoming to them, and his restaurant was beautiful with an intimate and romantic atmosphere. But, although he was really nice, Miranda did find him a little bit over enthusiastic about literally everything, John thought the guy was fantastic of course. At her look he protested. "What?"

"Nothing," She gave him a smile. "But thank you for this, it's a lovely surprise."

"Oh you just wait till you see who's at the door."

"What? Now?" He nodded at her so Miranda put down the decorations in her hand, walking carefully over to the door. Out of the window next to the door she caught sight of a taxi pulling away, someone had just arrived. She opened the door, revealing a rather excited young woman.

"Randa!"

XXXXXXXX

They had enjoyed a wonderful evening together, the three of them spending hours covering the house in festive decorations and then cooking and eating a meal together. Yet again Miranda was full of appreciation and love for Shepard, he did indeed know how to make her happy. And what made it even better was how well he seemed to get on with Oriana, treating her in the exact same manner as he would Tail and Liara. Now though it was just the two sisters in the living room, lounging on the sofas with a crackling fire in the grate under the vid-screen. John had gone off to do something or other, again disappearing with a pretty shifty look.

"So what are your plans Randa?"

"Plans?"

"Yeah," Her younger twin rolled her eyes in a rather familiar way. "Marriage?"

"Well, that's probably not going to happen."

"What?" Oriana wore a look of shock. "I though you two were forever?"

"We definitely are Ori," Miranda leaned forwards to grab her glass of red wine next to a bottle on the coffee table, tucking her legs back underneath her body afterwards. "But we don't need to be married to show that at all."

"But it's so romantic," Oriana protested, counting off on her fingers as she listed the benefits. "You get a beautiful dress, loads of friends and family are there, you can hire an old castle or something for the day – you could have the whole works."

"That's not for me or John, honestly," Miranda sighed, she supposed the difference in opinion was linked to their different upbringing. "When I was younger I never had a dream of a big, lavish, white wedding. For a start I had more dresses than I could count and pretty much castles and palaces anyway."

"But you must have wanted something like that, right?"

"I went through various stages. When I was really young all I wanted was to please father, to get some sort of...love...out of him," She took another sip of wine. "As I grew up I began hating him though, wanting nothing more than to get away from him. To find somewhere where I could be appreciated, to be cared for."

"And then?"

"And then I found out about you, about father's other plans," Miranda scowled. "I wasn't prepared to let you go through all I had been through, and so I wanted nothing more than to get you out of there. No matter the cost to me."

"I can't believe how much you did for me," Oriana shook her head in mild disbelief. "It was so selfless, absolutely incredible. And I love you for that sis."

"It had to be done," She gave her younger sister a smile. "But back to the topic, there was the third stage when I was at Cerberus – and that was a long one. I suppose after all those years of loneliness, coldness, bitterness, all I wanted was a bit of appreciation. Perhaps, after my career at Cerberus, I've come full circle – back to wanting love and appreciation from somewhere. Though I didn't realise it until we began the mission on the SR-2."

"And Shepard..."

"He gives that to me, unconditionally," Oriana nodded in understanding. "We don't need some signatures on a piece of paper for that."

"You don't fancy being 'Mrs Shepard'?"

"Uch, like all of those mad women out there?" They both laughed, there was still a gigantic group of women who wanted him for themselves. "It's not a definite no, if he asked then of course I would say yes. And maybe in the future we'll do it anyway."

"OK then," Oriana narrowed her eyes comically. "What about...kids?"

"Oh you will definitely be an aunt." One way or another, she added silently. Although she was pretty sure she had been successful, there was still a chance something could go wrong. It may be that they would have to adopt, but it would still be a child that they would love as their own.

"Yes!" Oriana yelped happily, grinning from ear to ear. "You two are perfect to be parents, but how soon will it be?"

"Well, when we're ready, it's not that simple," Miranda continued but only really half muttering to herself. "And I'm not sure about how great a mother I'll be."

"Oh stop it Randa, you'll be great," Oriana took a big swig from her glass of wine, emptying the contents. "And what's so difficult, all Shepard has to do is stick his..."

"Oriana Lawson, cut that out!" Miranda interrupted her sister, in more or a scandalised than threatening tone. She glanced to her twin's empty glass. "Are you drunk?"

"The term is tipsy," To emphasise her point Oriana rolled her eyes once more. "But why ain't it simple?"

Miranda paused before answering, she hadn't told Oriana about her infertility yet. The issue had never cropped up in conversation before now. Though she was still insecure at revealing such personal details this was her sister, and her trust in Shepard was equal to her trust in Oriana.

"Sis?" Oriana inquired gently, obviously realised she had stumbled across something serious. "I'm sorry if I've..."

"No, don't worry," Miranda sighed. "I have a condition – benign neoplasm. It renders me infertile."

"My god, Randa I'm sorry," Oriana paused, a shocked expression on her face. "Can it be sorted? Do...do I..."

"No, you don't have the problem. It was either an error father made with me, or a deliberate move. I can't be sure which, but I made sure you were healthy," Miranda smiled. "And I've been working with an expert on the Citadel to cure it, and we made a breakthrough over the last couple of weeks."

"That's fantastic!" Her twin immediately broke out in a grin of relief. "Is there much to do?"

"Well I've been on a hormone treatment plan for a couple of weeks, and we've just worked out exactly how to fix the physical problem," Miranda leaned forwards to grab the half empty bottle of wine on the table, pouring a small refill for herself. "Just one operation and a few weeks later I'm fixed. There is a possibility it won't work, but I think we have it sussed."

"Shepard knows all this right?"

"Of course, and he's been fantastic. If he was a scientist he would have gone and done all this himself, though you don't want to know the stories I've heard of him in a lab," She furrowed her brows. "But I haven't told him about the op yet, I'll tell him after Christmas. He worries a lot, too much perhaps. He'll just work himself up about it and won't enjoy the next few days."

"It's sweet that he worries though," Oriana cocked her head slightly, regarding her older sister. "Just goes to show how much he cares for you."

"I know," Miranda swigged down the last mouthful of wine in her glass, setting it down on the table to stand up and stretch. "Now you said something about trying out the pool, I wouldn't mind a swim myself."

XXXXXXXX

Miranda was in bed when she heard footsteps from the stairs, looking up from yet another parenting book in her lap. This particular one was not about any medical needs but in fact about the needs from parents, how she and John should act towards the child. Though she wasn't so concerned about the man coming up the stairs, he would be fantastic as a father.

Miranda smiled as he emerged at the top of the spiral staircase. "Hey you."

"Hey Miri," Shepard smiled as he entered the bedroom, plopping himself down onto the bed and beginning to remove his clothes. "Is Oriana in bed?"

"Yeah, we had a swim for a bit," She grinned. "Though I suspect she had too much wine."

"Well, everyone should be allowed to let their hair down for a while." She watched him yank off his shoes, his socks soon following.

"I couldn't agree more," She placed the book on the bedside table, taking on a playful tone. "But I wanted to know something."

"What?" His reply was muffled as he pulled his t-shirt over his head.

"Why are you being so shifty today?" She lowered her voice and began to mock threaten him. "What are you up to?"

"Erm..."

She slid from underneath the duvet, crawling up to him and giving him a mischievous look. He tried to avoid eye contact with her, though failed to look completely innocent.

"Well mister?"

"Fine," He sighed whilst loosening the belt on his jeans. "It's a surprise for you, something nice for you."

"Thank you John, but you have already done a lot for me," He still looked a bit dejected as he stood up to remove his jeans, Miranda immediately feeling a little guilty. As he sat back down she swung her legs over the bed, again becoming playful – there was something else she had been meaning to speak to him about. "Though that box in the garage could be more weapons rather than a present for me."

"Weapons?" He repeated the word slowly, trying to feign ignorance. "I don't know..."

"Like the ones you got off Garrus and Zaeed – yes I saw you – after that ceremony on the Citadel," She savoured his aghast look, finding his squirming as cute as ever. "Would I not find a Mattock in the panel to the right of the fish tank?"

"Erm..."

"Or a Carnifex behind the knife block in the kitchen, an Avenger behind the curtains on the entrance to the balcony in Oriana's room? Or the knives in the desks of the study?" She noticed the flicker of relief across his face however. "But I've missed something haven't I?"

Miranda thought about the placement of the weapons, also taking into account the type of weapons they were and Shepard's habits with weaponry. Then she realised what she had obviously missed, getting off the bed and heading over to their own balcony.

"Miri, it's freezing outside."

"I know." She gave him a smirk before heading out of the door, only clad in underwear. She wasn't particularly concerned about a few minutes in the cold, even if it was minus ten in the middle of the night. There wasn't any snow on the wooden planks of the balcony, the roof stopped that, though the railings had a thick caking of it. She looked not away from the house but towards it, studying the wooden panelling of the building. Miranda noticed one that appeared slightly loose, at a perfect height for John to easily remove. She used her biotics to remove the panel, though she was quite shocked at what she found behind.

"John Shepard, why is there a Geth Spitfire hidden here?"

"In case it's needed Miri," He came to stand by her in his boxers, taking the panel of wood from Miranda and replacing it. Whilst she had been quite comical he was not, an expression of utmost seriousness on his face. "Now come inside, it's cold."

She followed him in with a frown, studying his body language as he closed and locked the balcony behind them. He then moved past her, settling on his side of the bed. Miranda slowly settled next to him, still analysing his behaviour.

"Are you worried about someone trying something?"

"I still have enemies out there, despite what I've done," He realigned the pillows behind his back as he spoke, actually being quite viscous with them. "For a start there's the Batarians, they won't give a damn that I saved their four eyed arses. The mercs in the Terminus Systems aren't best pleased either, though Aria and I do get along and she may keep them in check."

"And Cerberus?" She voiced the question tentatively, the fate of the organisation had been in her mind as well.

"You know them better than me, but I can't see them being finished. There must be some resources left," He frowned. "Ashley said they've discovered many abandoned bases but they have been properly been cleaned out, thorough scrubbing of any evidence. And it had been done recently she reckoned."

"I agree that something must still remain of them, but what exactly I don't know," She paused, laying a hand on his arm. "But I doubt we'll need a rapid heavy weapon like a Spitfire."

"Just in case," He turned to her. "But you have a pair of Kassas in your underwear draw."

"I do, but I do want to know why you were going through my lingerie."

"Well I was going to get you some more for Christmas so I was looking for what size," He gave her a little grin. "I couldn't go into a shop and ask for bras for massive tits could I?"

"I suppose not, but it sounds like you're not getting me any now right?" She fluttered her eyebrows at him, smirking slightly.

"Na, I wouldn't dare buy any," He paused before adding. "You know what's both good looking and comfortable for you."

"Thanks John," She move to kneel next to him with a smile. "Now roll over."

He gave her a smile before doing so, exposing his back to her. They had worked out that these biotic massages worked wonders for him, now he had far fewer nightmares. In fact his last had been almost a week ago, the relaxation provided by the massage was perfect for sending him straight to a dreamless sleep. It was also rather intimate for them as a couple, in an emotional and reassuring way. To be honest Miranda was just happy to be able to help him, he more than deserved it. And in addition the fewer nightmares he had the happier he was to talk about them, again a benefit to sorting out his struggles.

"I don't know what I'd do without you Miri." His voice was muffled slightly by the pillow underneath him.

"Probably just as well as you do now," She leaned down to whisper in his ear. "Though with a little less sex appeal."

"I'm sexy enough for the galaxy by myself," He paused. "Though you add plenty of beauty to top it off."

"What are you after John?"

"Well..."

**A/N Felt a little depressed writing this as it's not actually Christmas but there we go...**

**Thanks for reading and as ever please review guys, always looking to improve.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Just a small chapter here, but it's necessary. I tried not to make it sickly sweet but you guys will be the judge of that. The next chapters will get back to more serious stuff though so stick with me on this guys!**

**25****th**** December 2186 – Crucible Pulse + 3 months**

Miranda woke to a strange sensation on her face. At first she though it was Shepard, showering her with light kisses. But then she realised it couldn't be him, firstly they were less like kisses and more like miniature licks – and he had never exactly licked her face before. Secondly there was pressure on her chest, four small points of pressure to be exact and they were far too light to be him. And finally she heard a chuckling from the other side of the room, clearly John's. She opened her eyes, seeing the perpetrator on her chest.

She raised an eyebrow. "A puppy?"

"Merry Christmas!" Shepard took a seat on the bed next to her, giving her a small kiss and picking up the tiny dog in his arms. It squealed slightly as he did so, waving it's paws in the air. "Isn't he cute?"

Miranda sat up in the bed, regarding the dog closely. It was very round, the body of it with plenty of puppy fat. It was mainly white but with some brown patches along it's flanks and back, it's stubby tail also being of both colours. It had similar brown markings on either side of it's face, divided by a white strip between it's white forehead and muzzle. Rounded, floppy, brown ears were continuously moving around as the puppy eagerly took in the sounds of it's surroundings. It was also looking around, curious blue eyes darting from right to left. In fact it bore rather similar eyes to the man currently petting it. Perhaps dogs really do reflect their owners, Miranda mused. Though she didn't know that much about dogs, she was pretty sure of what this one was.

"It's a St Bernard right?"

"Yep," Shepard placed the dog back on Miranda, setting it down on her lap. It looked up to her with those eyes, a pink tongue lolling out to one side of it's mouth rather comically. "And he's all ours!"

"You do know how big these grow right?" Miranda looked at him, trying to look serious. His enthusiasm was infectious however, and she couldn't keep a straight face at all. "It'll be like a small bear in a year."

"I know that, but we have space," He shrugged, rubbing it behind the ears. "And we live in the mountains, this is a mountain dog."

Miranda tried to fix him a glare. "It'll drool everywhere."

"That's not the end of the world," He gave her a grin. "I know someone who drools just a little in their sleep."

"I don't bloody drool." She lowered her tone, now managing to hold a glare.

"I'm only joking Miri, but back to the dog. Watch this," He moved properly onto the bed, lying next to her. He picked up the puppy and placed it standing on his own lap before speaking. "Sit."

The dog didn't do exactly as commanded though. Instead of sitting down it just flopped onto it's back, legs flying up into the air. Then it lay still, staring up at the pair of them and panting wildly. It was perhaps the most pathetic yet adorable thing Miranda had ever seen, prompting her to pout slightly.

"That is just..." A sudden realisation hit her. "That's what you've been hiding away in the garage doing isn't it, it was in the box."

"Yeah he was. I've been trying to train him but...you saw," Miranda placed a hand on the puppy's stomach as Shepard talked, scratching it's fuzzy belly. It's paws flailed in the air in response, a slight whine escaping it's snout. "To be honest he's still very young, only ten weeks old."

"Naw, he is very cute I will admit," She placed her other hand under it's back, lifting the puppy up and holding it at arms length in front of her. It yawned, stretching it's mouth obscenely wide and succeeding to make itself look cuter. "And I suppose it would be nice to have a dog."

"Exactly, I..."

"But you're training him," She placed it back on her chest, the puppy resuming it's exploration of the bed and sniffing happily. "And what's he called?"

"Have a guess."

Miranda whistled to get it's attention, the puppy immediately flipping it's gaze to her. It watched her with a cocked head, it's body standing stock still. The only thing that moved was it's ears, constantly shifting around it's head like little flaps whilst it's eyes remained trained on her. That in itself provided the clue, reminding her of someone that acted in the exact same manner.

"Legion."

XXXXXXXX

Downstairs the three humans were together, sitting around the large Christmas tree in the hallway. Legion was there as well, but he was busy running around in circles and yapping for attention from the three of them. Oriana had immediately taken to him, though Miranda was sure she had been in on the plan to begin with.

There was a whole cluster of presents under the tree, though Miranda wasn't exactly sure where the majority of them had mysteriously come from. Oriana grabbed and pressed one of them into her hands with a smile, Miranda swapping it for a present for her sister – a rather new and advanced Omni-tool.

She ripped open the packaging to reveal a luxurious bath robe. The outside was fawn in colour and made of a silky material. The inside was faux fur, white in colour and soft to the touch. Miranda stood and walked quickly into the living room, not being particularly keen on stripping in front of her sister, to remove John's borrowed shirt and placing on the robe instead. It was a perfect fit for her, snug around her waist and chest and cutting off a few inches down her thighs.

"It's lovely Ori," Miranda smiled at her twin as she walked back into the room, receiving a smile in return and an approving grin from Shepard. "Much more suitable attire than that this old shirt."

She threw the shirt at Shepard before kneeling beside the tree, fetching the present she had hurriedly managed to get for John. It was a big item, right at the back of the pile. She managed to slide it out though, hefting it over to him.

"Wow, that's big," He tore at the wrapping, revealing a black hard case. Shepard undid the clasps on the side, opening up the box. He looked over at her. "A guitar?"

"Well, you wanted something to do – why not learn a musical instrument?"

"Thank you Miri," He inspected the instrument closely before looking at her again, this time with a puzzled expression. "But I'm not at all musical. Honestly, I'll be a disaster."

"Everyone has to have a hobby Shepard," Oriana looked up from her new Omni-tool, smiling at them. "Maybe you could play and Randa could sing along?"

"In your dreams Ori," She rolled her eyes at her little sister, turning back to John. He had produced another package, square in shape and rather thin. He had to wave Legion away, the pup seemed rather interested in the package. "What's this?"

"I looked for ages for these, so we both had something to play," She took the package from him, her breath catching in her throat as she slid open the wrapping. "They're really rare."

"I bet they are," The items were three records, all from the middle of the twentieth century. One was a compilation of Mozart's most popular works, another of Bach's choral masterpieces, and the third was of Beethoven's most famous piano sonatas. They were the exact same records that she had once seen in collections, that had been many years ago in glass cabinets in her fathers mansion. Now they were here in her hands however, she could play them to her hearts content and she would. Miranda leaned forwards to give him a long kiss, pulling away at Oriana's sniggering. "Thank you John."

XXXXXXXX

"That was a really enjoyable day John, thank you," He smiled at Miranda from the bed, he was lying with Legion spread eagled across his chest. It turned out that the dog seemed to sleep on it's back, unlike any sensible dog, with it's legs sticking out in the most random of directions. She sat on the bed, rubbing Legion's belly in circles. "And you are great too Legion."

The dog whined happily in reply, rolling it's head to look at her and then back again. She laughed at it's reaction, giving it another pat on the head. They had had a brilliant day, the presents being followed by a rather tasty lunch that John had slaved over all morning. The afternoon had been relaxing as well, a couple of hours in the snow with Legion before relaxing in the living room whilst Shepard tried – he really did try – to begin to learn his guitar. But now it was time for something she had been putting off for the last two days, she swung her legs onto the bed whilst giving Shepard a look.

"There's something we have to discuss John."

"What?" He suddenly looked alarmed, sitting bolt upright with a concerned look. Legion got a shock and jumped off his chest, scampering to the bottom of the bed and plopping himself down there. "What's wrong?"

"Don't be so concerned John," She patted him on the arm lightly. "But it's about my infertility."

"Yeah?" She noticed there was some relief on his face, but still with a lingering trace of concern.

"Yeah. We've worked out how to cure it."

"Really?" A massive grin broke out across his face now, now he looked rather happy indeed. "That's amazing!"

"It is, but I need to have an operation first," Again a look of concern became visible on his features. "We're gonna do it in February."

"Right," He furrowed his eyebrows. "What does that entail of then?"

Miranda smiled as she turned, reaching into her bedside cabinet. She had spent the past two days creating a set of diagrams especially for Shepard, ready for this moment. She didn't want him to worry so much so the best way to do that was to explain exactly what was going to happen. Medical diagrams would be confusing though, so she had produced her own 'Shepard diagrams' for him. She handed him the data-pad, removing her new bath robe at the same time.

"Look here John," She got his attention, placing a finger low on her naked body and tracing a line downwards under her belly button. "They'll cut here first, that's this cut on the diagram."

"Right." He sounded rather dubious as he watched her explain.

"Then it's the simple part. They remove that mass, it's the actual tumour," She pointed to a grey mass on the scan. "The trickiest part is repairing whatever damage there is to the walls of the fallopian tube and uterus, but we won't know the extent until they open me up and take it out."

"OK."

"And then they close me up, it's really simple you see?" She smiled sadly at the expression on his face. "You still aren't convinced are you?"

"I'm just dubious, that's all."

"Don't be, trust me," She cupped his chin gently, stroking his stubble. "Then team is really good, and Walters is an expert. You reckon that I'd let any old doctor near me with a surgical knife?"

"Suppose not."

"Exactly," She kissed him lightly. "And I'll be under local anaesthetic the whole time so I can still boss them about."

"I want to be there," He swallowed nervously. "With you."

"If you want you can be there," It was unexpected to her, Miranda had thought that he would want to stay well away from any operating theatre. "But you might not like it in there."

"I'll stomach it for you."

She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling both of them down onto the bed. Shepard placed the data-pad on his bedside cabinet as Miranda snuggled into him, burying her head into his shoulder.

"I love you John," She ran a hand down his chest, tracing his defined abs. "And Merry Christmas."

"Love you too Miri."

Miranda closed her eyes as a kiss was pressed to her temple, both of them relaxing into each other.

The peace didn't last for long though, Legion was clearly feeling left out of the scene. He padded up the bed, walking straight over Shepard, and settling himself down in front of her own head. There was quiet for about half a minute before the snoring began, an incredible noise for such a small puppy.

"You could have bought a dog that doesn't snore."

"It adds to his charm."

"Hmm, we'll see."


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N Please forgive any medical related errors in this chapter guys, I'm not an expert. Also I have put a second day into this chapter as both are only short bits. **

**18****th**** February 2187 – Crucible pulse + 5 months**

Miranda was sat in the bed of their apartment on the Citadel. Legion was spread across her stomach, snoring rather loudly. He had grown considerably over the past couple of months, doubling in size and, most noticeably, weight. Her attention wasn't on the dog though, it was on the man sleeping next to her. Shepard was fast asleep, curled up into her side. His head was lightly resting against her ribcage, his exhaled breath tickling her side. He was mumbling slightly in his sleep, though Miranda couldn't make out any particular words as it was such a quiet sound. And because of the dog, of course. She glanced at the clock on the wall, displaying 6:00am Citadel time, sighing as she decided it was time for them to get up. She wasn't particularly tired herself, but Shepard still needed his sleep.

"John," Miranda placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking him awake lightly. "We need to get up soon."

He opened his eyes groggily, his legs sliding down the bed and to the very bottom. He raised his arms as well, stretching his entire body before whilst yawning.

"Morning Miri," Shepard sat up in the bed, placing an arm around Miranda's shoulders. Legion was up now as well, he had jumped up onto John's chest and was enthusiastically licking his face. "Yes, morning to you too dog."

"Good sleep?"

"Weird sleep," He frowned. "Not bad, just weird."

"You were mumbling quite a lot," She gave him a light kiss on the cheek, enquiring gently. "A dream?"

"Yeah, dead crazy one too," She didn't say anything, prompting Shepard into explaining. "I went into an operating theatre, you were on the table and there was a doctor working on you. When the doctor turned around it was actually Kai Leng, and I had a hell of a shock. But it was OK because Chakwas came in and smacked him around the head with a crowbar. Then we all made fun of his stupid mask."

"That is weird," Miranda chuckled. "But I'm sure Dr Chakwas could be pretty vicious with a crow bar. Especially to someone like Kai Leng."

"Oh the older women of the Alliance are pretty damn dangerous," He snorted. "Just look at my mother, god she would be nasty in a fight."

"She's a lovely person John." Miranda protested in her reply, Hannah Shepard had been very kind to her when they first met after the Collector mission. It had been rather refreshing for her to find an officer without the typical Alliance attitude towards Ex-Cerberus personnel, and since the end of the war they had been getting on very well together. She was, like Karen Chakwas, a natural mothering figure and very likeable. "Don't be harsh."

"Are you kidding? Just wait until you see her berate me for something one day," He fixed her a look. "Just wait."

"Oh I'll wait," She gave him a smile, resting a hand on his arm. "Are you OK about today?"

"Don't worry about me, it's you going through the operation," Shepard intertwined his fingers with her own. "And you're OK right."

"I'm fine thanks."

"Then I'm fine too."

There was a moment of silence as the two watched each other. Then Shepard moved closer, capturing her lips in a passionate lock. She happily reciprocated the kiss, placing an arm around his shoulders and pulling him closer. He deepened the kiss, Miranda knew he was trying to convey his support physically, but then he began to run his hands over her body. Soon he was heading south with them, trailing down her inner thighs. Reluctantly, Miranda pulled back.

"John, stop," She rested her forehead against his own. "We can't, not before the operation."

"But..."

"No, I have to be clean," Miranda gave him a light kiss on the cheek. "But after I've recovered you've got me all to yourself."

"Sorry," He gave her a small grin. "But we will have babies to make afterwards."

"Oh we will, just have some patience my love," She ran a hand across his chin. "Now lets get a move on."

XXXXXXXX

"I'm here Miri." Shepard gripped her hand with one of his own.

"I know you're here John," Miranda rolled her eyes at him, and she couldn't stop herself from laughing rather hard. "Obviously."

"Erm...Is she supposed to be like this?" He had turned to face the anaesthetist who was struggling to stop himself from grinning.

"It's the anaesthetic gas, it will make Miss Lawson a little..." The man paused, appearing to search for the correct word. "Different."

Shepard cocked his head. "Why aren't you using normal anaesthetic? Injecting it instead of this?"

"Because it won't work," Miranda replied instead of the doctor, in a pitch several tones higher than usual. "It'll disagree with the hormone program, because of complicated scientific reasons that are very complicated indeed."

"Is this as effective as an injection?"

"More so..." The doctor was interrupted by Miranda.

"Most definitely, it makes everything so funky," She grinned at Shepard, almost leering at him. "You especially, not that you don't always look funky. Handsome I mean, well maybe funky as well. I don't know, one of the two. Can they be interchanged?"

"Right," He smirked slightly, Miranda narrowing her eyes dramatically at his cocksure expression. "This is the second time I've seen you high then."

"I am not high Johnstone Shepard," She tried to raise an arm to prod him, but if was a bit too much of an effort with all the fuzziness running through her head. Instead she just shook her head. Shepard meanwhile had gone bright red, clearly embarrassed at the revelation of his full name which he despised. It wasn't surprising, she wouldn't like a name like that either. Miranda did feel slightly guilty, the doctors were trying to hide the fact that they were all laughing at them. "I'm sorry, shouldn't of said that. Blame the fact that I'm high."

"I thought you weren't high?"

"Erm..." Her eyes darted around for a few seconds as she thought of how to change the subject. "So what were you saying about being high before?"

"Yes you have, Ilium remember?"

"Oh yeah, when we helped Samara," She laughed. "It took a while to hit actually, but it was funny when it did."

"No it wasn't," He shook his head slowly. "You spent two hours that afternoon threatening Gardner in the kitchen whilst ordering him to, and I quote, 'satisfy my munchies'."

"Thank you very much John, you've just reminded me that I'm hungry," She huffed. "This better be quick, I really need to eat."

Then Doctor Walters walked into the room, fully sterilised and ready for the operation with the rest of his team. Miranda wasn't really paying attention to that though, she was more focused on the strange tingling sensation still creeping around her body. It was rather amazing actually, she could inhale a gas that only affected her below her stomach. It was also rather strange, and very very ticklish. And she was desperately hungry. And she had a nagging desire to jump off the bed and wrestle Shepard to the ground in a mad state of lust, even though she knew she couldn't.

"So, are we ready to begin?" Walters voiced the question to everyone present, all of the surgical team nodding their heads. Shepard slowly nodded, looking slightly pale, and Miranda whooped in reply. In all honestly she couldn't think why she did this, it just seemed rather amusing at the time.

"Sorry," She tried to look a bit sheepish, though it didn't work at all. "Not particularly appropriate is it?"

Suppressing a grin Walters began, gathering around her body on the table and initiating the procedure.

Time passed quickly for Miranda, the operation was a bit of a blur. One long, at times hysterical, blur. The team worked diligently, Miranda spoke animatedly about the most random of topics, and Shepard did the best he could to not look anywhere near the knives, cuts, and removed tissue of her body.

"You know," She spoke towards Shepard. "I think I want to be a research surgeon, you know? As something to do. After we've had a kid, of course."

"If you want Miri," Shepard squeezed her hand. "You'll be great at it."

"I won't be great, I'll be bloody fantastic!" She gave him a lopsided grin. "It's doing good, challenging work, something I'll enjoy."

"I know..."

"And I could cure all sorts," Miranda ignored the fact that she had interrupted him, heading off into her own merry world of the future. "You'll obviously be a stay at home dad in the day, I'll do evenings."

"Hey! What about my ice-cream shop?"

"You'd be crap at it anyway," She gave him an extravagant wink. "I'll be saving lives in that way as well."

"Harsh."

"Life's harsh, get used to it," Miranda cocked her head. "Actually that's a really strange saying, have you ever thought about that?"

"Can't say I have."

There was then quiet, the only sounds the hum of machinery, breathing, and the occasional communication between the operating team. Miranda felt as though she was now beginning to calm down, only slightly and slowly though. There was still a tickling feeling below her stomach, and there was a light tugging sensation as the team worked. After a few minutes of work a kidney dish was handed to Walters, he dropped a lump of tissue within. It was placed on a table next to her, and she studied it intensely – an inch in diameter and vulgar in every sense. Still, it was interesting to her that something so small caused such a problem. She noticed Shepard desperately looking away.

"You can look you know John," She gave him a smile. "Although it's probably my least attractive attribute."

"I don't think I really want to."

"Miss Lawson, we're going to begin the re-constructive work now," She met Walters eyes. "It'll feel a bit strange."

"I know, but I'm ready for It and I trust you doctor." Miranda saw the fleeting look of concern in Shepard's eyes, squeezing his hand gently. "Maybe you can get some of this gas for John? It does make everything rather nice and fuzzy."

**22****nd**** March 2187 – Crucible Pulse + 6 Months**

Miranda entered what had become their music room, and she entered nervously. This was what she had wanted for so long, what Shepard wanted as well, but that couldn't stop her from being a little scared. She clutched the test in both hands, walking in rather awkwardly.

Shepard himself was sat on the piano stool, hard at work on his guitar. He was crap at it, but it was rather cute to see how hard he tried. He could play the odd chord but, as he said himself, he was no Jimi Hendrix. He looked up as she approached, placing the instrument down straight away at the sight of her.

"What's wrong Miri?" He stood up, closing the distance to her quickly.

"There...there isn't a problem actually," She caught his hands that were going to her own, placing the test in his grasp. He studied it for a second before meeting her eyes. "It's positive John."

There was silence for a few tense seconds prompting Miranda into worry, but then Shepard was a blur of motion. He placed his arms around her waist, lifting her straight up. She laughed as she hooked her legs around his back, his lips racing over her neck. Then he dropped on his back onto the rug on the floor, a wide smile on his face as Miranda got onto all fours on top of him.

"Well, I take it you're happy?"

His response was physical at first, gently flipping her over so she was lying on her back on top of him. Miranda felt his hand gently move over her – for now – toned stomach, massaging slowly and softly.

"I'm more than happy Miri," His voice was very quiet, as if a whisper would destroy the peace they found themselves in. "I love you."

"I love you too," She paused, playing with his fingers on top of her stomach. She began to grin. "You know what this means?"

"Erm, we're having a baby?"

"Well, obviously," She turned her head so their eyes could meet, now with a devious grin. "It also means you have pamper me for the next nine months, to do my every wish."

"I already do that don't I?"

"Oh you're very good I will admit," Miranda twisted in his arms, placing a chaste kiss on his lips and fluttering her eyebrows. "But you have to satisfy every single desire I can possibly come up with."

"Got any burning ones right now?"

"Hmm, I can think of a couple..."

**A/N I'm going to start to spread the chapters out a bit more now, the basis of the fic has been established (or so I reckon).**

**As ever, please leave reviews guys**


	8. Chapter 8

"_No, no, no," Shepard sank to his knees, ghostly pale and staring at the man in front of him. "Kill me instead."_

"_Oh, I plan to kill you as well," The Illusive Man took a dreg from his cigarette, the Reaper tech shining a brighter blue as he inhaled. "But you have to watch what happens to your beloved first. Leng?"_

_A door to the right opened, the Asian assassin striding in with his usual cocksure sneer. In his left hand he held his sword and in his right he clutched a mass of raven black hair, using it to drag Miranda into the room. She was so weak that she couldn't try to resist him, allowing herself to be hauled towards them. She was clad in her catsuit but it was bloodied and shredded, exposing her body. Black and blue bruises covered her body, and blood was trickling from several wounds on her torso, her mouth, and her nose. The scene was horrific enough, but what made Shepard despair even more was the fact that Kai had no remorse for inflicting these injuries on a pregnant woman. The slight bulge in her stomach had one of the biggest concentrations of bruises on her body._

"_How could you?" He shook his head, despairing madly. He tried to make it over to Miranda, but the assault trooper behind him kept him in a tight lock which he couldn't shake. "Miranda can you hear me?"_

_There was no verbal reply, only her attempt to open her eyes. She was too weak to manage even that, and sour laughter filled the room._

"_How touching, the poor souls really are in love," Shepard turned his gaze to The Illusive Man, mustering as much venom as he could. "But it's foolish, it has made you both weak. It's what's got you in this position. And really, it's you that has killed her Shepard. And now, watch."_

_Leng dropped to a crouch position next to her, reversing the grip on his sword. He grinned at Shepard as he lightly pressed it against the bulge on Miranda's stomach. Then his lips twisted in a cruel snarl as he forced it against her bruised skin, ramming the blade through her torso._

**12****th**** April 2187 – Crucible pulse + 6 ½ months**

Once again Shepard found himself shooting up in bed, shaking lightly and covered in sweat. Again he performed the same routine of checking his surroundings for any threats before checking the woman next to him. Again she was no longer asleep, woken by his sudden motions or perhaps any shouts he had made during the night.

"Oh, not again John," Miranda sat up, running a hand along his forehead gently whilst speaking softly. "Come here."

He allowed himself to be clutched tightly, being pulled into her shoulder with arms around his torso. Shepard placed a trembling hand on her stomach, running it over the tiny bump in the centre. It wasn't particularly visible just yet, though if you pressed lightly and you were familiar with her body then it was obvious to the touch. He found himself having to double check on it's presence, and Miranda knew that.

"We're all right John," He felt her hands rubbing along his back, comforting him by relieving pressure points with deft movements of her fingers. "They're getting more frequent, aren't they?"

Shepard nodded in reply, still unable to speak.

"Tell me."

"It's just...I don't...Why is it getting worse again Miri?" He dropped his head down, almost in shame. Whilst it has been bad before now it was worse, Miranda was pregnant and really didn't need to be woken up nightly. But he couldn't tell her that, she wouldn't accept that she couldn't look after herself, a baby, and John. It wasn't that she couldn't, it was that she shouldn't. "I don't understand."

"The mind is a complex thing, it can play tricks on you for what seems like no reason," He felt her hands clasp around his own. "But there is always a reason, you have to find the underlying problem. Now tell me what happened."

"I don't know where we were or why we were there, but it was the pair of us. And The Illusive Man, and Kai Leng," He swallowed. "I was with The Illusive Man, having a conversation. He wanted to know something and..."

He was stopped by a slender finger being pressed over his lips.

"Hold that thought."

With that Miranda jumped off the bed, rushing over to the bathroom as quickly as she could. A second after she disappeared John heard her retch. With a grimace he got up to go to her, still feeling out of sorts himself. She was hunched over the toilet, clutching her stomach and shaking her head. He bent down next to her, rubbing her back in much the same way she had been doing to him only a minute earlier.

"Can you get me some water please?"

Shepard stood up, grabbing a glass on the shelf and filling it with water from the tap. He took it back to her, and Miranda took it to rinse out her mouth several times before repeating with some mint mouthwash.

"Thanks," Miranda rested her arms on the basin, he noticed they were shaking lightly. "Morning sickness isn't pleasant at all, seems your mother was correct."

"She usually is," He placed arms around her waist, now his concern for her had cleared his head. "It's a trait you share."

"Guess so," Their eyes met in the mirror. "Now, you were in the middle of telling me about that dream before junior interrupted us?"

"It..." He rubbed along her arms, thinking. She didn't need this now, she didn't need this at all. He could work this out alone, and he had an idea who could help. "It doesn't matter, we're fine and that's all that matters."

XXXXXXXX

As they flew along through the Presidium Miranda talked animatedly, mainly about the baby. But as she talked her eyes were still firmly focused on the space ahead of the sky car, driving expertly, safely, and responsibly. Shepard had tried, yet again, to be allowed to fly but, yet again, Miranda had flatly refused. She had never quite gotten over his escapades on Illium or in the Hammerhead. And, of course, she had heard about his adventures in the MAKO. As a result, he was banned from any form of flying, driving, and the general control of any transport whatsoever.

Eventually though, Miranda stopped talking long enough for Shepard to get a word in.

"So, will we find out the sex of the baby today?"

"No, it's too early to know that," She gave him a quick glance. "Do you want to know that before the birth? It was something I was meaning to ask you about."

"Well it..."

Miranda cut across him rather cheerfully."I mean it would be easier for us to know, so we can buy the right stuff in advance, paint the room the right colour, and other things like that."

"Yes but..."

She interrupted him again. "Having said that it would be rather exciting to not know, a real surprise for us."

"I think..."

Shepard rolled his eyes as Miranda stopped him a third time. "Most people find out though, don't they? So they can organise themselves properly and..."

"Miranda!" Finally he interrupted her, placing a hand on her arm.

"Right, I wanted your opinion didn't I?" She gave him a sheepish look. "Sorry."

"Na, you're quite amusing when you get like this," He smiled. "And I don't mind whether we find out about the sex, though it would be nice to have a surprise."

"Right." She nodded, offering him no more than that.

"Erm...you don't just have to give one word answers now. I know you're practically exploding with excitement these days."

"Yeah, you're right," Miranda grinned as she banked the skycar around to park it. "Though I need to remember to keep a lid on it in public, it's no good if everyone thinks I'm a softy now is it? I have a reputation to keep after all."

"Hah, suppose you're right."

They parked near the upper levels of Huerta, by the private wings rather than the crowded A & E sections that were more open to the public. The appointment was in the private block, and neither of them had been keen on having to travel through the entire facility. Or being seen by the press. The media was still rather content to spend hours speculating about the relationship of the 'galactic saviour' and his 'paramour', in fact Shepard was pretty sure that they were being tailed the last time they had been on the Citadel a fortnight ago. Neither of them were keen to reveal Miranda's pregnancy just yet, outside of her doctors no one knew – even Oriana was still in the dark at the moment.

They only had to wait for a few minutes in the reception before they were called forward by an Asari nurse. The nurse appeared bored as she called out Miranda's name but as soon as Shepard stood up that all changed. Her eyes went wide, and her mouth gaped open as she realised who she had to escort to the examination room. And soon she was giving him a once over. To be honest Shepard found that slightly amusing, but the look on Miranda's face was anything but amused. He noticed a coldness in her eyes that he hadn't seen for a while, directly aimed at this nurse. He could see a situation developing rather quickly, so he decided to try and nip it in the bud before anything could happen.

"Play nice Miri," He placed an arm around her waist. "Remember why we're here."

"We're not here for you to be gaped at by lustful Asari nurses, that's for sure," She said that in a threatening tone, loud enough to be heard by the nurse in question, who gulped rather noticeably, but not quite loud enough for the entire waiting room to hear. She continued in the same tone. "You are mine, and mine only."

"I'll put this possessiveness down to hormones," He gave her a kiss on the cheek. "You're not usually bothered by that kind of thing."

"You do that then, and no I'm not usually," They entered the examination room together, Miranda appearing to conjure up a smile out of nowhere as they greeted Doctor Walters. "Doctor, great to see you."

"It is Miss Lawson, and you Mr Shepard," He gave them a wide smile. "And congratulations to you both."

"Thank you doctor."

"Well, it's just a normal scan today. If you want to lie down here?"

He gestured to the bed, Miranda nodding and lying down on it. Without being asked she rolled up the bottom of her T-shirt, exposing her stomach. Shepard took a seat next to her as the nurse – who still looked a bit nervous – manoeuvred a vid-screen next to the bed. Walters had produced a cylindrical object, it looked a bit like a microphone to Shepard's untrained eyes. In his other hand was a small bottle of liquid.

"This will feel a bit..."

"Cold?" Miranda finished Walters' sentence for him with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes."

Shepard watched him squeeze the bottle, the shiny, gel like substance drizzling onto Miranda's stomach. He tried to keep his mind on why they were there, though that was difficult when her smooth skin had become shiny and oily. She noticed his stare, giving him a grin and a wink.

"Keep control of yourself John."

He didn't reply to her, his attention was now focused on the screen. Miranda's was as well as the doctor had began scanning her with the device. An image appeared on the screen, in black and white and rather grainy at first. It became clearer and more pronounced though, the shape of Miranda's womb becoming visible. In the centre was a small mass, looking like a misshapen oval to him at a first glance. No one spoke at first.

"And there she is," Miranda spoke in the same hushed tone that he had heard once before, just before she had met her sister for the first time on Illium. "Perfect."

"She?" Shepard was confused. "I thought you wouldn't be able to tell from the scan."

"I can't," Miranda smiled as she intertwined her fingers with his own. "But I just know it's a little girl."

He looked back up to the screen, eyes analysing the grey shape. "It just looks like a blob at the moment."

"The baby is in the very early stages of development, it will not have many distinctive features at the moment," Walters pointed at the screen with his free hand. "But you can see things beginning to develop. Look here, that's the head in the earliest of stages," Shepard peered slightly closer, there was indeed a second round shape where his finger was, it was very faint but it was there. "And the limbs will begin to form soon, and here will be the internal organs."

"It'll happen quickly John, next time we're here you'll see," Miranda smiled. "And it's not just a blob, it's our blob."

"Yeah, it is."

The rest of the examination was rather quick, a check of Miranda's vitals and a short conversation about how she had been feeling recently. Then the two of them began to talk about other, unrelated conditions and scientific projects, and Shepard could not follow either of them. Instead he amused himself by studying the print out of the scan, trying to discover all of the small features in the silhouette of the baby and work out where all of the limbs and organs would form. He knew that he was probably coming up with all the wrong results, but he enjoyed himself nevertheless. He was so engrossed in his task that he didn't realise he was being spoken too.

"Earth to John?"

"Hmm, what now?" He looked up at them.

"I was just going to go for a look around their research labs with the doctor," Her eyes flashed with excitement. "If I'm to work with the people here I need to know what equipment they have."

"Right," Suddenly he remembered the mornings events. He had thought to seek out Dr Michel for some help, though he hadn't known how to do that without Miranda. Now he had a chance without having to lie outright to her. "Well I would just get in the way, what if I wait for you downstairs? I was thinking of going to find someone anyway."

Miranda scrutinised him for a couple of seconds, giving him that familiar analysis. Then she nodded. "OK, I'll meet you in the reception when we're both done."

With that he thanked the doctor, gave Miranda a quick kiss, and headed downstairs to the public areas of the hospital. He managed to get by without being stopped, though he did receive many inquisitive stares and heard his name being whispered several times. He took a right turn down a quiet corridor that he knew headed to the rear lifts, but he was stopped by the sound of a familiar British accent.

"Commander Shepard?"

He turned at the sound of the familiar voice, giving it's smiling owner a smile in return. "Dr Chakwas, how are you?"

"I'm fine thank you." She crossed her arms, still smiling.

Shepard gave her a curious look. "How come you're here and not on the Normandy?"

"I've taken a six month off period, I had an offer from Alliance command," His cocked head prompted her to continue. "So many field medics were lost in the war that they desperately need young officers trained in more advanced techniques. I have been in a teaching post here, though I will return to the Normandy in about a month."

"That sounds great doctor."

"It is," She smiled. "And why are you here? Is there something I can help you with?"

He paused, he had been planning to see Dr Michel but he did know Dr Chakwas better. And she knew what he had been through. Maybe she could help him."Yes actually, do you have some time?"

"I have a class in ten minutes, but I am free till then," Karen cocked her head. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes...well...sort of," He struggled for the right words. "I...do need some help...if you wouldn't mind."

"Of course," Her gaze changed to one of concern, though she tried not to show it. "Come to my office."

He followed the doctor to her office nearby, taking a seat opposite her desk as Chakwas closed the blinds to give them some privacy. Then she took her own seat behind the desk, giving him her kind smile.

"What can I do for you?"

"Well, you can't tell anyone about this."

Now serious concern flashed across Chakwas' face, though she nodded slowly. "OK then, though this sounds serious."

"Right, well first of all..." Shepard couldn't help but smile at this point. "Miranda's pregnant."

"Really? Congratulations Shepard!" A wide smile was on her face as well, but it was replaced by a frown. "Is that not a good thing?"

"Oh it's absolutely fantastic," His smile immediately vanished. "The problem isn't her though, it's me."

The doctor nodded for him to continue.

"I've been having...dreams. For a while now, I had them throughout the war as well, but they've gotten considerably worse since the end of the war."

"I see."

"But then they got better, after Christmas I was barely having any at all," He looked down at his feet. "And now they've come back, I've been having them almost nightly for the last few weeks."

"Liara mentioned that you weren't sleeping well," Chakwas brought a hand to her chin to stroke it slowly. "And it isn't surprising that this is occurring."

"Do you...do you have anything I could take?" Shepard couldn't look at her as he asked, he felt far too ashamed of his inability to cope to do that. "Tablets or something. Just to help me sleep, you know?"

At first Chakwas said nothing, a sad smile forming on her face. Then she reached down, looking into a draw on her side of the desk. At first Shepard thought she was just going to give him some tablets, but he was surprised when she pulled out a data-pad, pressing some buttons to pull up a table before giving it to him. It was a database of people. He looked back at the doctor.

"What is this?"

"A table of people, several thousand people. A mixture of civilians and military personnel."

"I don't mean to be rude but I can see that," He scrolled down the list idly. "What is it for?"

"All of the people on that list have some things in common, but all of them share two key facts," She shook her head sadly before continuing. "Firstly, every single one of them has committed suicide."

Shepard's eyes shot back to the table, and he realised what he had missed. The far right column contained the information of how the person had died, a mixture of hangings, shootings, and overdoses. He brought his eyes slowly back up to meet hers.

"I would never do that, I couldn't do it," Shepard placed it back on the desk. "I just want something to help me to sleep, not to top myself! How could you think I would leave Miranda? Especially now."

"Shepard I don't mean that at all, remember I said – there were two things in common," Chakwas placed a hand on top of Shepard's on the desk. "None of these people had anything left in their lives. All of their families were killed in the war, their friends too. Their homes and businesses are gone, there was nothing left for them in their eyes."

"This is..." He shook his head sadly as he scrolled through the list of thousands. One entry stopped him – _Lucy Jones, Human, Female, 14 years of age, Presumed to be refugee on the Citadel, No known family, Found dead after overdosing on prescription sleeping pills._ He looked up again. "This one was fourteen."

"It's horrific isn't it?" Chakwas took the data-pad from him, placing it back in her desk. "And this is just one ward in one hospital on the Citadel. Now imagine what it's gonna be like across the entire galaxy. And we're also predicting there's gonna be an explosion in liver disease in about a decade, there are countless others losing themselves in drink."

"And I'm sitting here complaining that I can't sleep," Now Shepard really did feel awful, guilty even. Where others had lost everything, where others had nothing left, he had gotten off comparatively lightly. He had a loving partner, a family on the way, friends, and a home. "How selfish is that?"

"To be fair to you, you have been through an awful lot yourself. And I'm not trying to make you feel guilty at all, that's not what I'm getting at."

Shepard didn't reply.

"We humans are sociable creatures, and we work through our problems best when sharing them with others," She leaned back in her chair. "You have people around you who will only want to help, let them. Especially Miranda, you two have something really unique together. She will only want to help you."

"I know, she tried before."

"And?"

"It did help for a time," He sighed. "But I don't want to put extra pressure on her."

"I think Miranda Lawson can handle you as well as a pregnancy," Chakwas gave him a knowing look. "But if you insist then there are others, Garrus, Liara, Tali, and I'm always here for you."

"I know," He slowly looked up at her, only managing a meek look. "It was a stupid thing to ask for."

"No it wasn't, you thought it would help. But pills would only mask the problem, never solve it," She stopped as the bleeping noise of a pager came from her omni-tool. Chakwas glanced at it before standing up. "I'm sorry but I have to go. Think on what I've said Shepard."

"I will." As she gave him a light hug he couldn't help but add his own thoughts. _But it still won't help me._

XXXXXXXX

Shepard was engrossed in a rather good book. It wasn't his usual sort of read, but Miranda had recommended it to him a while back. Now he found himself obsessing over the fantasy world of Tolkien, reading through everything single instalment of Middle Earth. Now he was near the end of Frodo's epic journey in The Lord Of The Rings, coming to the climax of the gripping story. Miranda said that he would like it as he could draw parallels from the struggle of the powers of good against the overwhelming powers of evil in the book to his own life. John reckoned he liked it because it was a good read.

He was disturbed from the world of fantasy by a clicking sound, Miranda's boots he recognised. Not her old, thigh high, black ones but her newer, shin high brown boots. They suited her just as well though, and Shepard reckoned they were probably an awful lot more comfortable. But as he looked up to her he didn't see a smile on her face as he expected, but narrowed eyes and a bit of a scowl. Before he could say anything she spoke first, in an rather aggressive tone.

"Sleeping pills?" She glared at him.

"Oh great," He placed a bookmark in the book and tossed it down onto the table. It irked him that Chakwas had informed Miranda, and he let that show in his sarcastic tone."I see that patient confidentiality doesn't exist any more then."

"Patient confidentiality doesn't apply if the safety and health of the patient is in jeopardy," Miranda crossed her arms, throwing her weight on one hip. "In other words you worried her earlier, and to be honest I'm concerned for your health too."

"My health?" He scoffed, letting his anger get the better of him and snapping at her. "So you guys reckon I'm mental now? That I'm ill in the head?"

"Don't be childish John," She walked over to the sofa and sat down next to him. She changed her tone to a gentler one. "I'm worried about you, really worried."

"Well you shouldn't be," His anger subsided at her change of voice, he really hadn't meant to have been so aggressive. "Sorry, I shouldn't of snapped."

"No you shouldn't of, I'm only trying to help you."

"You shouldn't have to," He shook his head. "You have more important things now."

"Is that what you think?"Miranda gently placed a hand on his leg. "John you are my priority, no matter what else is going on."

"I just don't know what's going on now, where I'm at," Shepard stood up suddenly, putting some distance between himself and Miranda. He felt feelings long buried well up inside of him, the events of the last few years mingling with all of his dreams. He couldn't take it any more, John didn't want to deal with his past. He wanted the shadow of the Reapers gone forever, yet here they were – ruling and ruining what was supposed to be a happy time in his life. And he was letting them do this. "It was getting better, we were sorting it, and then the last few weeks have been awful again. Every night for a month I've woken you up, and you really don't need that or the worry. And I'm scared to go to bed sometimes, scared of what I'll see happen," He knew he was beginning to ramble, but the words kept on spilling out. "But in the day I'm happier than ever, I genuinely am. But that's marred by all of this. And now I feel guilty because I got through the war with almost everything I wanted, yet there are fourteen year old kids killing themselves because they have nothing left. I'm just being weak and pathetic."

And then he couldn't hold it in any longer. His emotions were exposed and raw and a single tear trickled down his face slowly. He had to take deep breaths to stop himself from completely breaking down. John slowly sunk down into an armchair, placing his head in his hands. He heard movement next to him before feeling a weight upon his lap. Miranda positioned herself in his lap, and he let her take control of his body. She removed his hands from his face and placed them around her, positioning one on her stomach. Then she cupped his cheek, forcing him to look into her eyes.

"You are not weak. You are not pathetic," She rubbed his cheek smoothly. "And truth be told I've been waiting for this moment to happen for a long while."

"Why?" He could only manage a hoarse whisper in reply.

"Because you've been bottling up all of this emotion, all of this feeling for so long. You've told me about your dreams but never the emotions behind them. I thought this was going to happen after the Collector Base, it almost happened the night of the party before Chronos Station," Miranda spoke softly. "But you haven't had free time like this for so many years, when was the last time you weren't being pushed towards some goal or objective?"

He shrugged.

"Well I reckon it was just after Akuze, ten years ago John," She rested her forehead against his own, still stroking his stubble. "Since then you've gone through N7 training, chasing Saren, the war, hell your own death! You were meant to have at least a month with myself and the Lazarus team to get you over that, instead you were thrown head first into the mission."

He nodded.

"This is natural, it's not a sign of weakness. Everything is catching up with you now because you aren't being forced towards something, and your mind is trying to process it all in one go," Miranda gave him a slow kiss on the lips, running one arm around his neck whilst placing the other on his hand that was still across her stomach. "But you can't do this alone, it's just too much. Let me in, trust me, I can help you if you let me."

"I tried before."

"And it helped didn't it?" He nodded his assent. "I can't use my biotics during pregnancy, but there's plenty of other things I can do. You can confide in me, we can talk, we can spend time just like this – holding one another and being close. God, you can just give me a rough fuck to get it out of your system if it helps you."

Shepard's eyes shot upwards, locking with hers. It wasn't often that she used language like that, and he didn't like her implications. "I'm not going to use you like that."

"Hey, I get awesome pleasure out of it so it isn't a problem," She gave him a grin which turned into a kind smile. "I just want to help."

"I know, it's just..." He dropped his head again. "I really thought we had cracked it."

"These things don't just go away, they can come back when you least expect it." Miranda shifted slightly, leaning back into his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around her more tightly, bringing her as close to his body as he could.

"I'll try again," Shepard still found himself speaking softly, but he meant what he said. "For you."

"You know, there's no shame in failing something the first time around," She turned her head, glancing up at him. "And it was you who taught me that."

**A/N I actually really enjoyed writing this chapter, though it was challenging trying to get the reasoning and emotions across – hopefully I've done that. **

**Thanks for all of your response so far guys, as ever I always want to know what you think.**


	9. Chapter 9

**30****th**** May 2187 – Crucible pulse + 8 months**

"Right a bit...right, right. Keep going rig...stop!" Shepard immediately dropped the pot, waiting for another command off Miranda. "Aw, that's too far John."

"What?" He stood up, taking a few steps back, panting heavily whilst staring at the plant pot he was trying to move. It would have been big enough for him to get inside but it contained a rather large palm tree. The result was an obscenely heavy terracotta and plant lump. And Miranda was being incredibly indecisive about where she actually wanted it on the patio. He turned to her. "This isn't very funny you know, it's bloody heavy."

"It's no joke. I want this patio to be an exemplar for the rest of the galaxy," She lowered her sunglasses, peering over the rims at him with a grin. "And I like watching you sweat."

Shepard gave her a bit of a grin in return, giving her a once over. She was lying in a deck chair, clad in a sky blue bikini, underneath a garden parasol of the table next to her. One hand was holding a book on gardening, Miranda had recently discovered an enthusiasm for the outside appearance of their home, and the other was resting lazily on her stomach – several inches bigger than usual. He reckoned that she still looked as incredible as ever though, and Miranda knew it.

"How far do you want it moving back left?"

"Go for about three millimetres."

"Three millimetres?" He gave her an exasperated look. "I don't have laser eye sight! How am I meant to move it that precisely?"

"Just get on with it John," Miranda placed the book down on the table next to her, picking up her glass of iced tea and taking a sip. "I'll tell you when to stop."

"That's what you said last time," He rolled his eyes at her before wiping the sweat from his brow with one hand. It was ridiculously hot, and Shepard had been shifting plant pots and soil bags since after lunch. Now it was four o'clock, and he was shattered. He glanced down at his drenched T-shirt, decided it wasn't really fulfilling much of a purpose, and removed it, receiving a wolf whistle from Miranda. He grinned at her pouting and turned back to the plant, giving it a scowl. "Come on then plant, bloody move it."

He placed his hands on opposite corners of the pot and heaved upwards, putting all of his weight behind the motion.

"Don't drag it John, you'll scratch the patio!"

"Jesus Miri," He stopped again, dropping it back down and looking back at her once more. "That's what I was about to..."

He was interrupted by a massive crashing noise from inside the house, followed by a squeal, a growl, and a yelp. The two looked at one another in surprise before both turning to the source of the racket.

"What the hell?" Shepard made to go towards the house but stopped in his tracks as another loud bang was heard. He could see the cause of this noise though, Legion was hurtling out of the French doors of the kitchen diner at breakneck speed straight towards them. He sprinted past John and towards Miranda, eventually trying to crawl underneath the table next to her. The dog was rather large now though, up to Shepard's waist at head height, and it made a comical sight as he tried to get underneath the table. Eventually Legion only succeeded to knock the table over and decided to collapse on top of it, quivering madly.

There was silence for a couple of seconds before Miranda spoke.

"What the bloody hell?" She glared at John. "Why is your dog destroying everything?"

"Erm...What just happened?" He began to walk over to the trembling St Bernard, kneeling down next to it and stroking it's head gently. "What are you doing hey?"

"Wait, John. Can you hear that?"

He stopped, straining his ears. "Hear what?"

"A scrabbling noise," Miranda slowly stood up, eyes trained on the house. "From the kitchen."

"You stay here," He stood up as well, walking over to the house as well. "I'll take a look."

He approached the French doors cautiously, glancing around the dining area. Several chairs were knocked over onto the floor, but there was no sign of anyone or anything in the room. Shepard slowly moved past the table, his eyes scanning ahead diligently. Looking up he noticed several open cupboards, and various foodstuffs were spilt outwards onto the worktops below. Then he stopped, he could hear the scrabbling sound as well and it was originating just by the cooker. Steeling himself, he crept around the corner.

He saw the perpetrator, and got a hell of a shock. It was a badger, a rather big one, and it was helping itself to a pile of fruit it had knocked off the table above. As he approached it looked up at him, staring at him with a curious look whilst mixed juices dripped from it's muzzle. He stared back, noting the black and white markings across it's face and committing them to his memory. For about three seconds the stare continued, but then something changed. The snout of the badger wrinkled back to reveal a set of razor sharp teeth, and a high pitch growl began to emanate from it's throat. And then, it struck.

Shepard had fought all manner of enemies in his career, and many of them had been truly terrifying. Some, like brutes, had incredible levels of savage force. Some, like Cerberus phantoms, had great skill and dexterity with their chosen weapons. Some, like the Geth, possessed advanced technology. And some, like the old Shadow broker, possessed all of those things. But despite his experiences, the sheer ferocity of this badger was simply staggering. It went from standing still to a sprint in a split second, reaching about a foot away from Shepard and leaping at him with bared teeth and the most horrendous of noises.

And though his conscience mind was in a state of shock his N7 training took over his body. He rolled backwards from it, diving behind the counter and into the dining area. He heard a massive thump as the flying badger collided with the washing machine in mid leap, but by the time he was on his feet the beast was already shaking itself off and searching for him. It's eyes met his own once more, narrowing them as it began a second charge.

In close quarters the badger was brutal, and he was completely outclassed. Shepard knew he needed to even the odds, and he decided to make a tactical withdrawal. He turned and ran, hurtling towards the doors where Miranda stood watching with a rather puzzled expression. He managed to get through the opening and slam the door, feeling it shift behind him and hearing another crash as the badger collided with the glass door. Shepard sat panting on the floor, slowly bringing his eyes up to meet Miranda's.

"Holy fuck!" He shook his head, unable to stop a chuckle. "That was fucking nuts!"

"Is that a badger?" Miranda peered through the glass, and Shepard turned to watch as well. It was stood on it's hind legs snarling at them. "Oh my god, did it hurt you?"

"What?" He glanced at it's face, noting that the fruit fluids on it's snout looked a lot like blood. "No, that's your fruit."

"It's eaten my fruit?" Miranda growled herself. "Bastard!"

By now the badger seemed to have decided it's perimeter was secure once more, it dropped to all fours and sauntered back into the kitchen to resume it's feast rather arrogantly.

Shepard stood up slowly, still peering through the glass to see what was going on. "I though badgers were nocturnal?"

"Well mostly, but they'll come out for a good meal," She furrowed her brows. "But it's unusual that it's out in this heat. Regardless, I want it out of the house before it does any serious damage."

"I know, I just need some equipment." With that he turned to walk around the side of the house, entering the garage from the back. He walked over to the far side, pulling down a tool box from the top shelf and rooting inside. It was one of many hiding places for his weapons, but one Miranda hadn't actually found yet. He hefted the Graal Spike Thrower from the bottom, hauling it along with him as he left the garage. As he returned to Miranda's side she gave him an displeased look.

"Are you really going to use that in the house?"

"It'll do less damage than the bloody badger," He gave her a grin. "Just think of this as Varren hunting or something, like on Tuchunka."

"Just be careful, and I don't just mean about the badger," She gave him a frown. "That thing is bloody heavy, so don't take too long or your arms might drop off."

"It ain't that bad, though it is easier to wield with body armour on," He nodded to her to open the door. "I'm going in."

This time he didn't bother with stealth, Shepard ran straight in with the weapon trained ahead of him. It must have been an effective choice because as he stormed around the corner the badger immediately backed away. He let lose a shot but it narrowly missed, embedding itself into the lower half of the fridge instead of the furry horror. Although he hadn't wounded it he had startled it, and the badger bolted right around him. He ran after it, letting off another round at it's heels, and chased it towards the back of the house. Miranda threw open the back door to usher it out but it decided it didn't want to go that way, skidding left and into the hallway and the rest of the house instead.

"Shit!"

He banked after it and saw it make a dash for the music room, directly at the Steinway. He raised the Graal and shot a round in front of it, again forcing it to turn away from the high priced instrument. The badger went left again, but then took a sharp right into the study where it went to hide around the other side of the desk. Shepard slammed the door to keep it in, Miranda coming to stand next to him.

"It's in there."

"I'll close the other doors," Miranda did just that, sealing the hallway. "As long as it doesn't like stairs, it's stuck in the hallway."

He frowned. "With you inside."

"Yeah, but I'll be fine," Miranda walked up to the fish tank, sliding off a panel next to it and removing Shepard's Mattock. She loaded a thermal clip and cocked it. "Lets get the bugger."

Shepard leant a hand against the door, ready to push it open, as Miranda stood back and raised the gun to her shoulder. He pushed, rushing in and straight forwards, heading for the desk. He shot a cluster of spikes at the foot of the desk, shocking the badger and forcing it out. Again he hadn't hurt it, but it moved and gave him the opening he needed. Shepard dropped the shotgun, diving on top of the badger and wrapping his arms around it's neck. It struggled as he hoisted it up, but he kept it in a lock where all it could do was snarl and flap it's legs about.

He turned and began to run out, shouting at Miranda. "Get the front door!"

She obliged, hauling open the door and standing aside. Shepard pulled his arms back before hurling them forward, slinging the badger out of the house...

….and straight into a cluster of Alliance Officers and Admirals.

There was a whole chorus of colourful expletives as the approaching group threw themselves out of the way of the beast which landed right in the middle of them. There was a moment of silence as the badger slowly picked itself up, glancing around at the group. It began to growl threateningly but obviously saw it was outnumbered. With a sense of satisfaction Shepard watched it bound off, heading towards the nearby forest. Before it got out of sight, however, it turned, looking straight back at him. For the third time badger and human locked eyes, each giving the other an expression of absolute loathing. After a quick baring of teeth, which Shepard took to be a declaration of war, it turned for a final time, disappearing out of sight.

Then Shepard turned his attention to their other unexpected arrivals, six to be precise. He wasn't surprised that they were all staring, it must have been a strange sight. Shepard – the 'saviour of the galaxy' – was stood there with only a pair of flowery shorts on, his body covered in sweat, soil, badger hair, and bits of fruit. Miranda – the 'no nonsense', ex-second in command of Cerberus – was stood next to him, noticeably pregnant, bikini clad, and loosely holding a Mattock rifle with a smug expression. Behind them the floor was littered with dirt and Graal spikes, and the kitchen was another story all together.

Shepard didn't recognise two of the Admirals, but they were slowly dusting themselves off with rather shocked expressions. Rear Admiral Mikhalov had the most furious of expressions, his face was bright red and filled with indignation. Kahlee Sanders and Admiral Hackett were stood staring, slack jawed and rather confused. Hannah Shepard was doubled over laughing.

"Erm..." Shepard knew he had to say something, but how could anyone explain what just happened?

"Hi?"

XXXXXXXX

Shepard jogged down the spiral staircase quickly, taking the wide marble steps two at a time. He had only been gone ten minutes, just enough time for a shower and change into a T-shirt and jeans, but he didn't want to keep a potentially infuriated group of officials waiting for whatever they wanted. He quickly headed into the kitchen first, checking the damage.

To his immense surprise the kitchen was already in a much better state, thanks to the three women inside – Kahlee, Miranda, and his mother. All three looked up at his entrance, giving him smiles and greetings. Hannah Shepard looked exactly how he remembered, albeit with a few more grey hairs. She had the same kindly face and tone matched with her approachable demeanour, though he knew that she could change that in an instant. If she wanted to be she could be authoritative, cold, and downright scary. Though she usually saved that for people who required it. His mother walked over to him, a particularly huge smile on her face.

"John," She wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in for a rather strong hug and chiding him. "Yes, you're not too old for a hug."

"I know mom," She pulled back, still with a wide smile. "It's great to see you, though it's unexpected."

"Hmm, when were you going to tell me?" Hannah jerked her head in Miranda's direction with a knowing grin. Miranda answered first.

"This week, honestly," Miranda came to stand next to Shepard, giving both him and his mother a smile. "We just wanted to make sure everything was in place before telling anyone."

"That's fair enough," Hannah waited for them to say anything but there was nothing, so she rolled her eyes and moved forward to grab both of them in a second, enthusiastic hug. "Aw, congratulations you two. I'm thrilled to bits, honestly! I can't wait for a grandchild!"

As she let go of them Shepard caught sight of a rather windswept expression of Miranda's face, whilst she was used to his and Oriana's affectionate treatment she was still a bit at odds with the sheer enthusiasm that was his mother. Still, he knew she did get on with his mother.

"Thanks mom, we can't wait either." He turned to Kahlee Sanders, unsure of exactly what to say to her. He hadn't seen her since Grissom Academy, and he hadn't spoken to her since Admiral Anderson's death. "Hi Kahlee, it's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too Shepard," She glanced around the kitchen. "It's a lovely place you have here, the surroundings are rather beautiful."

"Yes, it is astounding," His mother nodded approvingly. "A fantastic place to bring up a family."

"It is," Miranda nodded, but then she chuckled. "When it's not under attack, that is."

"Oh yes, that was hilarious John," Hannah laughed loudly. "I've always wanted to see Mikhalov shit himself, that bugger is always so...smarmy is the word."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "So you don't like him either."

"He's insufferable," Hannah dropped her voice slightly, taking on a serious expression. "But you need to get in there with them, it won't do good to keep the new Brass waiting. I shouldn't tell you this, but they want you to be Councillor. Hear them out at least, and if you really don't want it then just be gracious. I better go and tell them to get ready."

With that she turned and left, giving Miranda a warm smile before she did so. Shepard exchanged looks with Miranda, trying to get his head around what his mother had told him.

"I better not come with you John, I'm probably not in their good books just yet."

"I'm not having that," Shepard took her by the arm gently, placing another one around her shoulder. "I want you to have a say in this as well, you are half my life now."

"Technically I'm two thirds at the moment," She tapped him on the chin. "But I should probably put some clothes on, I'll join you in a minute."

They shared a quick kiss before she left as well, leaving Shepard alone in the room with Kahlee.

"Kahlee, I hope you don't mind me saying anything but," He met her eyes with his own. "I'm so sorry for Anderson. I tried to save him, I really did."

"I know Shepard, I'm sure no one could've done any more," Sanders gave him a heartfelt smile. "When we talked during the war he spoke highly of you, he said you'd get us through it. And I knew he was right then, I knew you would do it."

"Anderson did just as much as me, without him there was no way of succeeding with the final assault."

She nodded, giving him a sad smile. "I am just glad that people recognise his sacrifice. I hope they'll do the same for you, this political ambush isn't fair in my opinion."

"Well, I'd better go and brave it anyway," He pushed himself off the worktop, gesturing towards the door. "Shall we?"

They headed out of the kitchen together, walking through the hallway and into the sitting room. The other five officials were sat on the sofas, talking quietly. They fell silent as he entered, looking around at him expectantly. Hackett rose, extending a hand towards Shepard.

"Shepard, it's good to see you again," Shepard shook his hand, offering a friendly smile that was returned. "I trust you're enjoying retirement?"

"Most definitely," He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "And sorry about earlier. With the badger. It broke into the kitchen and started eating the fruit, and it was a tough fight to get the bugger out."

"I can imagine. Still, no harm done I think," Hackett turned to gesture at the female Admiral he didn't know. "This is Admiral Carnelli."

The woman stood up, extending a hand of her own. She was by far the youngest of the lot, bright blonde hair tied up in a neat bun with friendly hazel eyes. Shepard put her age at no older than forty, showing just how many Admirals were lost in the war. It wasn't often people gained the prestigious rank until nearer fifty. He shook her hand before she sat down again. "An honour to meet you Shepard."

"And this is Admiral Jenkins, I don't think you will have met him before either."

"No," The man stood up as well, eagerly clasping Shepard's hand with both of his own and shaking vigorously. He was older than Carnelli, and rather stocky with a small tuft of mousy brown hair. His smile seemed genuine and friendly, but he didn't seem like a man who could make tough decisions. "I haven't had the honour."

"And you know Admiral Mikhalov."

Mikhalov stood up, giving Shepard a curt nod and brief handshake. He could sense the enmity from the man, but he merely smiled falsely. He did note, with some satisfaction, that there were three small tears down the front of his uniform, it seems that the badger had managed to strike after all.

Hackett chuckled. "And I won't bother to introduce you to Kahlee or your mother."

Shepard nodded, looking around for a seat. All of the sofas and chairs were taken up so he quickly went over to a hidden cupboard, pulling out a large pair of brown leather bean bags. He tossed them both in front of the fire and settled comfortably on one, with all of the others in full view in front of them. Even though he was sat far lower than them he still felt like he had all the power in the room, he was forcing them all to look at him.

"Shepard, I'm not gonna beat around the bush over why we're here," Hackett leaned forwards. "We want you to be humanities representative on the Citadel Council."

"Right." He offered no more than that, he had guessed that this was coming. Shepard was more interested in the reasons why they wanted him, not the fact they did want him.

"I know you aren't the biggest fan of the Council," Hackett stopped himself, letting out a little chuckle. "Or politicians in general for that matter. But we really want you to consider this offer."

"I will listen."

At that moment Miranda walked in, Legion following hot on her heels. She had changed into another light blue garment, this time a summery dress cut off halfway down her thighs. She walked past the sofas and settled on the second bean bag, tucking both legs up onto the bag with a smile. Legion flopped down at her feet, lazily waving his legs around in the air – his way to demand a belly scratch. Miranda obliged whilst speaking cheerfully.

"What have I missed?"

"They have asked if I'll consider to be Councillor."

"Surprise Surprise," Miranda gave him a grin. "I wish I had of put a bet on that."

"Is it appropriate for Miss Lawson to be here," Mikhalov leaned forwards, rubbing his hands together. "We may be discussing sensitive material."

"Miranda is probably the most important factor in whether I take this offer or not, if she tells me to turn it down I shall," Shepard leaned forwards as well, fixing an intense glare onto the Admiral. "And I hope that's not a Cerberus related insinuation, if it is you can leave now."

"Mikhalov," Hannah stepped in, giving him a warning look. "Don't start on that again, we went through it before. Miss Lawson is a more than trustworthy person, and as John's partner doesn't she deserve an opinion in all of this?"

"Look, lets not have a row about me," Miranda continued her petting of the dog whilst looking up. "You came here with reasons, lets hear them."

"The bottom line is that the public has lost faith with the Alliance Brass," Hackett shook his head sadly. "It wasn't just men we lost in the war."

"I have been dealing with public relations since the war, with both the media and the public," Carnelli took up Hackett's line of conversation. "The people are livid with the Alliance, and unfortunately they are right with a lot of what they claim. We didn't act when we should of, we didn't listen to you or your crew, and we ignored the true threat in favour of pursuing your Cerberus involvement."

"To be fair, the Council did that as well," Shepard furrowed his brows. "The other races must be pretty annoyed at their leadership."

"Yes, but that is not our immediate concern," Mikhalov waved his hand dismissively. "That's their problems, not ours."

"That isn't a helpful attitude Admiral," Shepard reprimanded the man carefully, trying not to start another row. "We all need to be working together more than ever now, and maybe the public are beginning to care about the other races now. We wouldn't have survived without them, we owe them as much as they owe us."

Mikhalov sat back with a humph, and Carnelli began to talk again. "The media are being as fickle as ever, criticizing us with whatever we do no matter what. Obviously they always do this, but they have very little support for us at all. They have been blaming us with many of the deaths in the war, that we could have saved many more people had we acted."

"It's true though," Miranda looked up. "Imagine if you had of began preparing after Sovereign attacked the Citadel. Or even if you had of had John briefing you on the Reapers during his imprisonment, he knew more about the enemy than anyone else and could've organised defences from Earth."

All of the staff shifted slightly awkwardly, they all knew it was the shameful truth. Even Hannah Shepard looked a bit sheepish. Shepard broke the awkward silence.

"I'm not being your poster boy again."

"That's not what we're asking from you," Carnelli shook her head. "In fact we're asking the opposite."

"Shepard, you'll speak out against us. You aren't bound by any ties to the Alliance, and so you won't bend anything for us," Hackett pointed at him. "You'd work for the people and not for us, and that's better for everyone."

"Think about this," Jenkins spoke up for the first time, and he made rapid gestures with his hands as he spoke. "We have been managing the position since the war but, as we are Admirals, we have to put the Alliance's interests first. If we do that we're criticised by the public and other races, and if we compromise our stance, the backers of the Alliance lose faith. We're in an impossible position."

"So don't get an Admiral to do it," Shepard leant back. "There are plenty of other politicians not linked to the Alliance, all of them experienced, willing, and driven."

"That's not ideal either," Carnelli grimaced. "After Udina's coup all of the politicians are being watched closely. They can be ambassadors and diplomats, but as Councillor? Trust is the most essential attribute now, trust from the human population, the other races, the current Council, and from everyone else."

"And you have to add that many of those other politicians are asking for you to take the post as well," Jenkins gave him a smile. "Everyone wants you."

There was silence for a few seconds as Shepard drank in the words of the Admirals. What they were saying to him did make some sense, but he still had misgivings. He reached forwards to idly rub Legion's belly, still mulling over the conversation in his head. Hackett broke the silence.

"Regardless of whether you take the post, we had some issues we wanted to discuss with you if you wouldn't mind," Hackett reached into a bag and pulled out several data-pads. "It shouldn't take too long."

Miranda caught his eye with a look that said _yeah right._

"Go on then," He stood up slowly. "Shall I get some refreshments then?"

XXXXXXXX

The 'not too long' discussion went on for about five hours, absolutely ridiculous in Shepard's mind. It was almost ten o'clock by the time they ushered the group out. Shepard was polite in his goodbyes to everyone, though he lingered for longer with Kahlee. Then it came around to saying good bye to his mother.

"John I want you to think about it, seriously," She gave him a smile. "You've done so much good in the galaxy all ready I know, but you can pass this on to the next generation."

"Maybe."

"Uch, Miranda dear, sort him out."

"Hah," Miranda chuckled. "I'll try."

Hannah gave them both a tight hug, adopting a serious expression with them.

"I haven't been there for you in the last few years John, and I'm not going to miss any more," Hannah drew herself up. "Once things have settled down I want to leave the Alliance, I want to be a big part in this baby's life if you'll let me."

"Of course Hannah," Miranda smiled kindly. "We want nothing more."

"Great, then I'll love you and leave you."

She waved before leaving, heading out to the shuttle with the other officials. The doors closed as it headed off, the whining engines receding into the distance.

"I love your mother John," Miranda shut the door carefully. "But I thought they were never bloody leaving."

"Ha," He stretched, yawning loudly. Shepard was rather tired, and bed was an appealing prospect. "God I'm tired."

"Well anyone would be after a deadly duel with such a scary beast."

"Do you mean the badger of the Alliance Brass?"

"Ouch," She sauntered up to him. "But I find that being defended fearlessly by my handsome hero rather...titillating."

"Oh?"

"Yep," She took him by the hand, tugging him towards the stairs with a swing in her stride. "And John, I think you should take the position."

That surprised him. "Really?"

"Not for them," She began to ascend the stairs, pulling him with her. "For the innocents, for the young."

"For the future?"

"You can make a difference for all of those poor souls out there, the ones who always get forgotten," They reached the first story, carrying on up the staircase. "For the children who have been left alone, for the lonely who have lost everything. You don't owe it to them I know, but I know you care. I know that list Chakwas showed you affected you."

"More than you can guess," They reached the top of the second staircase, turning left into the bedroom. Miranda was right though, it had disturbed him. And he had made a decision. "OK, I'll do it."

"And that is just one of the many reasons why I love you." Miranda sat back down on the bed, slowly and tantalisingly removing her dress to reveal her naked body.

He grinned. "What, because I do what you want?"

"Well, there is that," She skirted back into the bed, leaning her back against the headboard of the bed. "But it's because you always do the right thing. For everyone else first and foremost."

"Well that's not going to happen all the time," He removed his own clothes. "You come before anything else in the galaxy. Period."

He got down onto the bed, crawling up towards her. He stopped when he drew level with the bulge in her stomach, pressing a light kiss to Miranda's smooth skin there and whispering.

"And you too."

"Do that again," He complied, rubbing her skin tenderly. Shepard felt Miranda shudder lightly under him. "That feels so...different."

Shepard did it again but then he began to move up her body, trailing kisses up between her breasts and past her neck to her mouth. He stopped, the pair of them staring at one another for several seconds. Then Miranda nodded to him slowly, speaking quietly.

"Go for it, my love."

So he did. Shepard was always considerate to Miranda during sex, always making sure that she was as comfortable and content as she could be. And now it was even more important, he made sure to be extra gentle with her. Though he tried not to be substandard, she still wanted a good time after all.

After they were both spent from their passions Shepard made his way up the bed, settling himself comfortably. Miranda pressed herself as closely as she could to his body, resting her head on his chest as a pillow and tangling her legs in his own. His left arm went around her back whilst his right rested on her stomach, massaging lightly. Whilst they had always slept in this position Miranda had made sure to be like this every night. It was part of the routine she was running for him, one of her many methods of trying to deal with Shepard's poor sleeping habits. She was trying to be as close as she could be to him, reassuring him with her smooth skin, delicate embrace, and intoxicating smell. And her smooth words, of which she always said the same every night.

"I'm right here John," She pressed a kiss to his chest. "Love you."

"Love you too."

**A/N Well that was a long one, but enjoyable to write. Idea in the first section belonged to a friend of mine, was too good to pass up and added some action (Sort of). **

**I'm gonna have Shepard as Councillor, I reckon it's something he would do for the people and to prevent the Alliance from causing any more problems.**

**Decided not to do full smut at the end, not really needed in this chapter.**

**Again, thanks for all your comments and reviews. **


	10. Chapter 10

**16****th**** July 2187 – Crucible pulse + 10 months**

Shepard and Miranda headed up the familiar stair case arm in arm, ignoring any stares that followed them. They passed Bailey's office on their left, receiving nods from the Turian guards outside, and walked on for about ten metres, stopping Udina's office to their right.

"I'd still rather be going into the SPECTRE offices for work," Shepard frowned. "Much more honest work."

"Oh it's not that bad John," Miranda gave him a reproachful look. "At least you won't be shot at."

"Well, you think that's the case," He grinned. "I tend to get shot at a lot on the Citadel, no matter what I'm doing."

She rolled her eyes. "C'mon, lets check out your office."

He nodded to her before swiping her palm over the entrance key, admitting them into the room. Shepard had a quick glance around the tidy office, it was much the same as he remembered it. It was rather sparse though, what few personal effects had been present for it's former occupier were no longer there. His eyes had only been roaming for a few seconds before an Asari stood up on one of the red couches, she coughed lightly to get their attention.

"Greetings Councillor Shepard," He recoiled slightly, it was the first time he had been addressed by that title. "I am Shayla."

"Hi Shayla," He gave her a pleasant smile, his usual tactic for strangers. "Are you from the Council's offices?"

"I have the honour and privilege of being your secretary." The Asari smiled pleasantly, giving him a short bow.

"Right, I didn't know I'd be getting one."

"Of course Councillor," If it was possible her smiled widened, though it was rather patronising if truth be told. "It is my duty to keep you abreast of all meetings, upcoming events, general deadlines, and other important obligations. In short, I can help you with any services you require of me."

Shepard made to reply but before he could Miranda spoke, in rather a cold tone. "Right, and where are those services limited?"

"I beg your pardon Miss...?"

"Miss Lawson, John's partner." She gave Shepard a quick kiss before heading on further in, circling around the desk in the lower section of the room. She sat down in the chair behind, reclining rather extravagantly and making sure she positioned herself with her pregnant stomach on full view. Shepard inwardly groaned, he knew exactly what was coming.

"Miss Lawson, I am not sure I follow your meaning?" The Asari was still all smiles, though she looked rather out of sorts now.

"Oh you do," Miranda pulled an apple out of her handbag, taking a rather aggressive bite before continuing. "Tell me Shayla, do you think a dress such as the one you're wearing is appropriate in this working environment?"

Shayla took a look down at her green and white dress, Shepard did as well. It was of the kind favoured by most Asari, reasonably form fitting and exposing a lot of skin in the centre of her torso. It wasn't at all uncommon in the Presidium for Asari to dress like that, though he did get Miranda's meaning – it was intended to attract a lot of attention. Still, he thought his partner was being a little unfair. Shayla swallowed uneasily, clearly unsure of what to do next.

"Miranda," John walked over to her, speaking quietly so only she would hear him. "I think you're being a little ridiculous don't you?"

"Really?" She tilted her head, raising her eyebrows slowly. "I guess I'm just being a bit overprotective at the moment, especially of my man."

"I...I see."

"Well Shayla," Shepard tried to press on, he didn't want to have an issue with a potentially excellent secretary after all. "I'm sure we will get on rather well. Is there anything I need to know right now?"

"Uhm, yes," The Asari seemed to find her form, taking a data-pad from the table behind her and flicking through. "The Council has a meeting in half an hour, I can take you to the chambers they are using today. Also, I have been instructed to ask if you are satisfied with this office. You can request any customisation or even a change of venue if you wish."

"It is a little sparse I guess," He looked around for a second. "Do you reckon they can get a fish tank in anywhere?"

"I can always ask Councillor."

"Great, that would be nice," He noted a group of empty shelves at the end of the room. "And I can bring some stuff from home as well. Is that all?"

"Yes, I will leave you to settle in and return to take you to the Council," She flicked off the data-pad, looking a bit happier. "If you need anything I am situated just down the hall. Additionally you can reach me through your comm terminal. Good day Councillor."

With that she left rather hurriedly, not giving Miranda a second look. When Shayla had gone Shepard turned to face Miranda, spreading out his arms.

"What the hell was that about?"

"Don't you what the hell me," Miranda pointed an accusatory finger. "Could you not see what she was trying to do? Or didn't you mind?"

"What? I think she was trying to introduce herself as my secretary," He sighed, taking a seat opposite her and adopting a concerned expression. He hoped this wasn't the start of a bigger problem. "Miranda, do you trust me? As a partner, that is."

"Of course I do John, I didn't mean to imply..." Miranda gave him an apologetic expression. "I trust you implicitly, it's just..."

"Just what?"

"Everyone knows we are together, not a day goes by when there's something about us on the news or one of those ridiculous celebrity programs, especially since they all found out that I'm pregnant" She looked down at her feet. "Yet people still go on about having you, have you seen some of the sites on the extranet? There are full on fan clubs of mad Asari and Human women, and don't get me started on the fake pictures Fornax have been printing."

"Fornax are making fake pornos of us?" He laughed. "That's hilarious."

"It's not, I don't get why people won't just accept that we're together," She shook her head, still looking down. "I know it sounds ridiculous."

"It's not. I can understand, I really can," He placed a hand across the desk, taking her own lightly. "But you don't have to worry, if anyone tried anything their feet wouldn't touch the ground Miri."

"I wasn't particularly mature with your secretary was I?"

"Not really, no."

"I'll apologise when she comes back," Miranda squeezed his hand. "And I really do trust you."

"I thought so," He looked around, mainly to find something to change the subject to. "Those shelves could do with something. Maybe a music player, perhaps some model ships?"

"Oh god, not another collection," She rolled her eyes comically. "But I'll have a look for you."

"On that subject, what are you going to do while I'm in the meeting?"

"Oriana's on her way here, she booked her ticket as soon as I told her I was expecting," Miranda grinned. "We've booked a table in an 'All you can eat Chinese', and I firmly intend to eat it all."

"You have asked them to buy in extra food I hope?" He chuckled. "They'll have to close after you've finished otherwise."

"Hah," She took another couple of bites of the apple. "And then we're going shopping, a bit of sister time."

"Good, you deserve it Miri," Shepard smiled. "Go spend a load of money."

"Well, I found a really interesting shop on the Presidium," She gave him a flirty look. "A lingerie shop, with a rather excellent section for the 'mum to be'."

"Erm..." He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Great?"

"Oh it's great for you," She gave him a wink. "I'll find something exotic, I know you love that kind of thing."

There was a few seconds of silence before Miranda stood up, taking Shepard's hand and leading him to one of the couches. She sat down, pulling him down next to her and moving in for a kiss.

"Bit keen, eh Miri?" He chuckled. "Not sure this place is entirely suitable for this kind of thing."

"Just keep it to light petting John, I don't want your secretary coming in on us in a particularly compromising position."

"Are you sure you're not stamping your authority over me? Trying to brand me as your own?"

"If you don't shut up an kiss me," She growled threateningly. "I will."

They spent the other twenty minutes on the sofa, indeed only kissing one another. Despite her claims John could feel some urgency in Miranda's movements. He tried to reassure her with his own movements, but in the end resolved to words.

"Miranda, I promise you I would never betray the trust you've put in me," He held her gaze, their eyes locked together. "No matter how many Asari try to get in the way."

"I...I know," She swallowed, taking a breath. "I wouldn't be carrying your child if I didn't trust you. Like I say, it's just that other people annoy me. Not you."

"I love you Miri, never forget that."

"I know," She smiled, lightly rubbing along his wrist with her thumb. "I love you as well."

Soon enough there was a buzz at the door, and they split apart before letting Shayla back in. Before the Asari could say anything Miranda spoke, she wasn't best keen on apologies and he knew she would want to get it over with.

"Shayla, I would like to apologise for what I said earlier," She smiled kindly. "It wasn't very mature or kind of me."

"That's quite all right Miss Lawson, I hope we can get along well in the future," The Asari appeared rather relieved. "Though I can assure you I have no intentions along those lines with Councillor Shepard, I am currently in a relationship and would most definitely not wish to try and come between yourselves."

"Well, I'm glad that's settled," Miranda stood up, gathering her things and giving Shepard a kiss on the cheek. "I better go and meet Oriana, good luck John."

"Thanks Miri," He smiled. "See you later."

"See ya," She walked to the door, stopping and turning to face him. "And try not to kill them straight away."

Then she walked through the door, heading out of sight. Shayla smiled at him, checking the time on a clock on the wall.

"Are you ready Councillor?"

"I think so."

XXXXXXXX

Shepard took a seat at the circular table in the Council's private chambers, glancing around at the expectant faces surrounding him.

"Welcome Councillor Shepard." He turned his head to face Tevos. The Asari looked much as she had always done, Valern and Sparatus were to either side of her and also appeared rather well. Shepard wasn't surprised that they had survived the war unharmed, but he was dearly hoping that their attitudes had been changed by the events of the past few years.

"Thank you."

"I believe you know everyone here?"

"Almost." As well as the original Councillors there were four other members. Admiral Raan was the representative for the Quarians, much to Shepard's relief. He detested Xen, had punched Han'Gerrel in the stomach during the war, and didn't have that much faith in Zael Koris. Of course he had hoped that Tali would join, but she flatly refused and terminated the video call with him a few days ago. She had apologised since, but Tali remained firm that she wanted nothing to do with Citadel politics and wanted only to work with her own people.

Balak was the representative for the Batarians, seated immediately to Shepard's right. Like many humans Shepard wasn't the biggest fan of Batarians, and Balak had tried to kill him. But he would put that aside, and he was sure the Batarian would put aside his differences more easily than many of the other Council members – his people couldn't afford to be awkward or picky at the moment.

Wrex was the Krogan representative and was on Shepard's right. His old friend said nothing but gave Shepard a grin and a Krogan equivalent of a raised eyebrow, he was indeed in a good mood. Shepard supposed this was probably because this was a huge day for the future of the Krogan.

The final member was a Geth unit, very similar to Legion. It was white in colour, with red and black markings along it's chest and upper arms. He inclined his head towards it.

"What is your name Geth?"

"This serial number assigned to this platform is Unit 42-a16cv."

"Ah...right," He scratched the back of his neck. "Is there anything easier to call you by?"

"Call it whatever you want," Wrex chuckled. "It'll probably answer to tin-can, I don't think it'll care."

"Wrex, that's harsh."

The Krogan dead panned in response. "You didn't think that when we were blowing them up by the dozen."

Shepard glared at Wrex, that probably wasn't something to bring up so soon and he could see Valern and Tevos sharing rather concerned looks. The Salarian sighed before speaking.

"Can we give the Geth a name and get on with things?"

"Shepard, you always said Dave was a power name amongst humans," Wrex gestured at the Geth. "Surely that'll do?"

Shepard made to speak, but the Geth unit spoke first. "That is acceptable," The Geth didn't move as it responded. "This platform will respond to 'Dave'."

"Good," Sparatus nodded happily, but Shepard was mentally slamming his head on the desk. He had been messing around with Wrex on the SR-1, both discussing the issue of differing names between species. He had joked that the name 'Dave' sounded like a power name in Wrex's deep and threatening voice, and it seemed the Krogan believed him. Now it looked like the name had stuck on a Councillor. "Councillor Shepard, do you have any other questions before we begin?"

"Yeah," He placed his elbows on the desk, leaning forwards with a sigh. "Where are the Councillors for the other races? The Hanar, Volus, Elcor?"

"They were offered seats," Tevos replied. "But they chose to defer for several years, until they have recovered more significantly from the war. Until then we will work much more closely with their embassies."

"Right, I see."

"If that's all, I think we should move on to the first order of the day," Valern flicked on a data-pad, prompting the rest to do so as well. Shepard noticed there was one placed in front of him as well, it was linked with the rest and had automatically began to display a presentation. "The galactic economy is in a dire state..."

Inwardly Shepard groaned, that was one thing he was hoping to avoid on his first day. He knew nothing about the galactic economy or business, and there would be nothing he could offer. Wrex didn't seem too thrilled either, he shifted awkwardly in his seat and leant over to Shepard.

"This is going to be simply thrilling."

Time passed slowly for Shepard during the rest of the meeting. He tried to concentrate, he really did, but there was no way he could keep focused on a conversation he had nothing to offer to. His mind wandered to and from, but eventually he was back in the room with the others. Stealthily he drew his own data-pad from his bag and turned it on, opening up a social program. It was rather irresponsible, but it wasn't as if he was doing anything in the meeting.

He scrolled through the list of contacts that were currently online but before he could choose one a message popped up.

_16:06 G.V – Shepard! Hows it going?_

He grinned, it was always nice to speak to Garrus.

_16:06 J.S – Well, currently in Council meeting..._

_16:07 G.V – And your talking to me? Shouldn't you be like...running the galaxy? Keeping citizens like me safe in their beds?_

_16:07 J.S – You? You're a citizen? _

_16:07 G.V – Technically, you're a citizen too._

Shepard looked up quickly, double checking whether anyone was watching him or not. Most of the Councillors were enthusiastically engaged in the debate, though Wrex looked half asleep and Balak's expression was practically murderous.

_16:09 J.S – Technically, I'm bored. _

_16:09 G.V – Ha! _

There was a pause before Garrus continued.

_16:09 G.V – So, is 'Lord Wrex' there?_

Shepard chuckled at the nickname, having to develop a cough to disguise it. He was about to reply when Wrex leant in close and whispered to him.

"Tell the Turian I'll be on Rannoch to kill him if he isn't careful."

_16:10 J.S – I think you've hurt Wrex's feelings with that nickname Garrus, he seems to be muttering something about coming to Rannoch to kill you._

_16:10 G.V – Hi Wrex! I know Shepard can afford to ignore the meeting, but you better pay attention. The Salarians might even try something funny with you in the room, you never know with them – make sure you read what you sign! _

Wrex burst out with laughter, immediately stopping the ongoing conversation in the chambers. As gazes headed their way Shepard tried to manoeuvre the data-pad out of sight, though he was sure Tevos caught the movement. She cleared her throat.

"Is there something amusing about the potential base interests to set in the banks when we re-start them? Councillors?"

"That is a rather patronising tone Tevos," Wrex glowered in the Asari's direction, and Shepard agreed wholeheartedly. "We aren't children."

"I did not mean to offend," She inclined her head, taking on an apologetic look. "I only mean that you are more than welcome to contribute to the discussion, so far neither of you or Councillor Balak have said anything."

"How can we?" Now Balak did speak up, and rather aggressively. "We are soldiers, we know nothing of the economy, the banks, businesses, or politics. How do we even know that you're being truthful or fair to our species? You could be ripping us off and we'd never know!"

"I don't think they would do that Balak," Shepard spoke up, trying to be diplomatic. "But he is right, we haven't got a clue with any of this stuff."

"I understand," Sparatus nodded solemnly. "But you have to trust us, and you will pick this all up in time, I'm sure."

"Yes," Valern began to stroke his chin thoughtfully. "Maybe we can give you some case studies, simplified of course, for you to have a look at before the next meeting. To give you a basic understanding. There are also some good books I can recommend if you would like."

Shepard nodded, though Wrex was still glowering and muttered darkly so only Shepard could hear him. "That still doesn't solve the problem, stupid Salarian.

Shepard decided that he would probably have to listen from now on, so as the talks resumed he made to turn off the data-pad. As he did he noticed a string of recent messages from Garrus.

_16:13 G.V – Shepard? Are you there? Are you in trouble? Oh please say I've gotten you into trouble, that would be simply hilarious... _

_16:14 G.V – OK, now you have me concerned. Seriously Shepard, have you been fired? That would be an awesome achievement – causing the sacking of a Councillor._

_16:16 G.V – I can't remember if it's a criminal offence to muscle in on a private Council meeting, even over the extranet._

_16:19 G.V – Oh fuck, it's a serious offence – I've just checked. Please tell me it's still only you reading this pad?_

Shepard grinned, he'd let Garrus stew for a bit.

XXXXXXXX

Shepard carefully edged his face forwards, pressing his nose to the buzzer of the apartment. About ten seconds passed before the door opened, Miranda speaking as it did.

"John why do...oh," She stopped, trying to peer around him at the mass of data-pads in his fully laden arms. "That's quite some work there."

"Tell me about it."

He walked past her, dropping the data-pads on a table as Miranda closed the front door. Then Shepard sank into one of the sofas, rubbing his eyes forcefully. Miranda came and sat next to him, picking up a large bowl full of miniature papadums and beginning to crunch happily through them.

"Where's Oriana?"

"She got called away as we were shopping, apparently there's a major emergency back on her colony."

Shepard frowned, he was surprised Miranda would let her sister go if it was a dangerous problem."Sounds serious."

"It wasn't a security issue, some social thing or other," She furrowed her brows. "But to call her back from halfway across the Traverse? They must really value her there, and so they should."

"Yeah," Shepard nodded. "I bet she's great at her job."

"She is," Miranda paused, giving him a once over. "More importantly though, how was your meeting?"

He shook his head slowly, running his hands through his hair. "A disaster from start to finish."

"It can't have been that bad?" Miranda inquired gently. "What happened?"

"Well the Geth Councillor is to be called Dave."

"Erm..." Miranda raise an eyebrow. "And that's because?"

"My fault, it's because of a joke I had with Wrex years ago," He shrugged. "But after that the first thing we talked about was the economy, how brilliant was that?"

"I don't know," She devoured another papadum in one large mouthful. "How brilliant is it?"

"Not at all brilliant, I don't know the first thing about the economy," He sighed. "Or business, finance, taxation, politics, or anything at all relevant. Balak was right – if they wanted to the rest of the Council could play our entire races, and we wouldn't have a clue."

"Oh come on, that wouldn't happen," She rolled her eyes. "And you're not the only one. I don't think Wrex knows what he's doing, does he?"

"Well, that's another story all together," Shepard frowned, he hadn't been happy with one of the decisions made at the end of the meeting. "The Krogan are getting a team of Volus and Asari finance and businessmen to work for their political team. Wrex won't have to lift a finger, they do it all for him. The Batarians are getting the same thing."

"You have to be fair John, the Krogan don't actually have a proper economy and they won't be able to set one up themselves without help," She reached for another handful of papadums. "And the Batarians have lost everything, so they will need the same doing as well."

"I'm not saying about the races themselves, they obviously need the help, I mean about the other Councillors," Shepard stood up, walking over to the kitchen area whilst continuing to speak. "They'll have a while team of experienced advisors, and what have I got? Udina's leftover lackeys, that's what."

"You've got me, I'll be your team," He peered from behind the fridge at her, momentarily pausing in his search for beer. "I have degrees in Intergalactic finance, business, banking, and politics. I probably know more than all of those helpers that Wrex has."

"I know you probably do," He returned to the fridge, grabbing a bottle of Chinese export and returning to Miranda on the sofa. "But it's not the point, they've asked me to be Councillor but I just can't do most of the job. And I don't want you to have to do loads of extra work, especially not with a little one on the way."

"God John, I'm pregnant not ill," Miranda softened her tone. "And aren't you being a little hypocritical?"

"Meaning?" He took a swig of beer.

"You recommended Anderson to be Councillor after the battle of the Citadel, he wouldn't have know these things either," Miranda placed the now empty bowl back on the table, surprising Shepard with the sheer speed of how quickly she had devoured the contents. He turned his attention back to her. "Yet he made a great Councillor. Mainly because he wasn't a politician, he was just an honest soldier like you."

"I know that," He signed in resignation, taking a much longer drink this time. "You're right."

"As ever," She smirked before moving around on the couch, leaning her back onto his shoulder and stretching her legs out along the sofa. Then she reached for a file from the table, resting it on her stomach and beginning to flick through it contently. "I could easily help you with this, it'll take some time but you'll pick it up. If you're a good student, that is."

"Oh I am fantastic," He nudged her playfully. "Do I get better grades for sleeping with the teacher?"

"Ass," She spun her head round, waggling her eyebrows. "You get punished."

They fell into a silence as Miranda examined the files, Shepard being quite happy to watch her an drink his beer quietly. Then he thought of something, he had actually been wondering about it for a while.

"How many degrees do you actually have?"

"Let's see, well there are the four I mentioned," She stopped for a second to consider, before reeling off a rather extensive list. "There's applied mathematics, artificial intelligence and software engineering, biochemistry, biotechnology, cell biology, chemical engineering, evolutionary biology, genetics, medical biology, molecular biology and genetics, and neuroscience. Of course they're all under different names at different universities studied over the extranet. But they're still degrees."

"Wow...that's just..." Shepard shook his head, simply in awe. "I knew you would have a good few, but that's obscene. How did you have time for all of that?"

"Well I did all the humanities ones first, when I was between fourteen and sixteen," He noticed her scowl. "That was all for the basics of father's business empire, so I could continue it."

"And all the sciences?"

"I enjoyed science when I was younger, much more than finance or economics, and it would have been just as essential as the humanities for the businesses – they were scientific as you found out," She closed the file, shoving it back on the table. "I did the first of my science degrees when I lived with father, but the rest I did over my career with Cerberus. Whenever I was on a new task where a new skills set was required I would study the relevant courses first. In addition I thought, if I was doing the work anyway I may as well get myself some more letters. For example, I took the neuroscience courses during project Lazarus – It was relevant."

"Suppose that makes sense."

"Oh, and there's another one I forgot – reproductive biology," Shepard raised an eyebrow, about to say something when Miranda spoke first. "No John, it's not a degree in sex. I studied it whilst doing the work with Walters, he passed me himself."

"You mean that you've taken another degree since the end of the war?" His mouth opened slightly, he was still simply amazed.

"Yep, it wasn't one of the most difficult ones though."

"You are just...wow," He wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pressing a kiss to her head before speaking sincerely. "I wish I could be intelligent enough to do just one degree."

"Hey, you are actually really intelligent yourself," He raised an eyebrow. "You have a really quick mind, adaptable and practical, I've seen you work around problems that degree students would fail miserably at."

"Well..."

"You're great with people, able to inspire confidence in even the most lost of people," She continued on. "You know how to treat people, when to be kind and when to give them a kick up the backside., look at how you dealt with people as polar as myself and Jack. There are different types of intelligence, and yours is probably far superior."

"If you say so."

"Oh you know I'm right," She reached again for the file. "There's some goodies for you on the kitchen table."

"Goodies? Woohoo!"

He walked back over to the kitchen, there were indeed several bags filled with stuff. Shepard looked through the first one containing a white box. He slid the box out to find it's contents, a large replica of the SR-2, and he checked through the other bags to reveal similar items. There was a Turian dreadnought, the SR-1, the Destiny Ascension, and three other ships. He looked back at Miranda, she was smiling happily.

"Thanks Miri, these will look great in the office."

"You haven't seen the other one yet, it's under the table – I didn't want to lift it."

He looked under the table, there was a very big box there and it was indeed heavy. He hoisted it up onto the table, sliding the box out of it's wrappers.

"Oh wow!" Shepard looked back at Miranda. "This is fantastic Miri!"

He looked back at the box. It was a large, one metre long MAKO replica. Not only was it a model, but a fully automated replica, complete with a fully functional, pellet shooting turret. The box claimed that it could do up to fifteen miles per hour, and he fully intended to put that to the test.

"I am so storming the Council chambers with this."

"Well John, first you can check out the other...exotic...items I procured," Miranda was now standing next to him, her voice purring rather sensually. Shepard's eyes went wide, to be honest he was getting a little concerned with her ridiculous sexual urges. He turned around to face her, seeing her with a devilish grin and clasping a packet in her hands. "Sweet and salted popcorn – in one packet! Can you believe it, I've never seen something so amazing!"

There was a few seconds of silence before he couldn't hold it in, Shepard burst out laughing and she joined in pretty soon after.


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N Sorry for the delay, been a bit busy recently. Just a little Shep Miri scene here, fleshing out the time gap between this and the planned next chapter really.**

**28****th**** October 2187 – Crucible pulse + 13 months**

Miranda adjusted the cushion behind her back, making herself more comfortable for the umpteenth time in the past hour. She shifted her legs slightly, stretching out all the way to her toes down the sofa. She was sat in the middle of the corner sofa, her body positioned to face the large vid-screen above the fire. The other part of the L-shaped sofa was empty, Shepard was seated on the floor with his back to the bottom of the furniture piece with an incredible array of data-pads and papers surrounding him on the rug.

She turned her attention back to the vid-screen and the program she was currently watching. It was a drama series set in the mid twentieth century, revolving around a team of doctors and nurses in an English hospital. Miranda had never been bothered to follow vid programs in the past, or any popular culture. It had never been something that interested her, and really she had never had the spare time. But now she had plenty of time, and was willing to give anything a try. She actually liked this series, sure it wasn't the best of acting and contained plenty of historical and medical errors that she abhorred, but the interactions between the different characters in the story were rather interesting.

Soon enough the program finished, the credits accompanying a massive gurgle from her stomach. Miranda rolled her eyes and sighed, patting her rather large bulge lightly. She could deal with the other side effects of pregnancy – the back ache, the sore feet, the need to use the toilet every couple of hours, the ridiculous – and for Shepard rather terrifying – sexual urges, the mood swings, headaches, and the nausea – but the constant hunger was driving her mad. And it wasn't as if it was a general hunger either, but specific cravings for only certain foods.

She slowly moved off the sofa, heading around it and walking slowly into the kitchen. A light jingling told her that Legion was following, the familiar clinking noise of his collar giving away the massive animals presence. Miranda passed the cooker and stopped in front of two of the many oak faced cupboards around the room, opening them with one hand and scratching Legion behind the ear with another. The cupboards were stuffed with food, but there was nothing there that she exactly wanted to eat. She shut the cupboard doors with a humpf and moved to the fridge freezer, opening up both doors of the unit at once. Miranda began to root through the draws of the unit, searching rather methodically. Eventually she found something.

"Hmm, a nice bowl of chips would be nice," She turned her head to look at the dog. He cocked his own head in reply. "Eh Legion?"

She grabbed the bag out of the freezer and headed over to the cooker, double checking the instructions on the back of the packet. Miranda had rapidly adapted to many domestic tasks she had never had to worry about before, like cooking. Though advanced things were still a trouble, she could cook basic meals rather well. It was a combination of reading through entire library's worth of cookery books and following Shepard's instructions, he was a surprisingly knowledgeable cook in fact.

Miranda threw a large portion of chips into a pan, placing that in the oven and setting it to cook. Then she walked over to the sink, resting her arms either side and gazing out of the window to the dark outside. It was a rather stormy evening, with vast quantities of rain lashing from the sky in an almost vertical direction. There was a sudden flash of lightening followed by a low rumble of thunder, and the wind howled as it blew across the mountains. The lake in front of the house was full of tumultuous waves crashing against the sandy shore, and the movement of the water was incredibly dramatic. And it reminded Miranda that she really wanted a drink.

She hadn't been drinking coffee during her pregnancy, and she didn't feel like drinking tea right now. She had exhausted their supply of juice and there wasn't really anything else appealing to her in the fridge. And Miranda had also drunk their stocks of hot chocolate, though she really did crave that right now.

"Hmm, how did John make it without the powder?" She drummed her fingers on the worktop, thinking back to a couple of weeks ago. He had made her hot chocolate using real chocolate rather than just powder, and it was far nicer. She turned back to the cupboards and grabbed a couple of bars of chocolate, tearing them open and shoving the contents into a pan. Miranda placed it onto the stove and turned it on, smiling at her resourcefulness as she watched the chocolate begin to melt.

Two minutes later the kitchen was filled with a burning smell, and Miranda was rather alarmed at the development. She ran a wooden spatula through the melted chocolate, finding lumps of burnt chocolate at the bottom. She frowned, John had simply melted some chocolate and added milk. Her attempt was a lumpy and burnt mess in a pan, hardly perfect. She decided to give up and get him to make her some later on, so she shoved the pan into the sink to wash later.

Eighteen minutes later the chips were done, and at least they were done well. Miranda poured them into a large bowl and headed back into the living room, happily munching her way through the food. She stopped as she caught sight of Shepard in the same position on the floor. She hadn't realised that he was actually asleep on the floor, and she placed the bowl on the table with a tender smile. Miranda approached him, slowly lowering herself down onto the floor and patting him on the shoulder.

"John?" She picked the bowl of chips up again and waved it in front of his face, wafting the smell under his nose. "Wake up."

"I don't want to lick...What?" She chuckled as he slowly woke up, muttering slightly as his eyes opened. His usual waking up, confused look turned to one of embarrassment. "I was asleep? I shouldn't have been, sorry."

"Hey don't worry about it," Miranda gave him a light peck on the cheek. "But you're working too hard, as per usual."

"Yeah well..." Shepard stopped and screwed his face up, jumping to his feet. "Shit!"

"What?"

"I was meant to contact the Hanar high command this evening, for Council business."

"Well it's late now," Miranda tugged on his arm, still seated on the floor. "You can do it tomorrow."

"But..."

"No," She interrupted him forcefully. "You've done plenty of work tonight."

"Fine," He sighed and sat back down, rubbing his eyes forcefully. "I'll do it tomorrow."

"Good," Miranda leaned into his shoulder, shuffling along the rug next to him. She felt an arm slip around her shoulders and heard Shepard yawn as she pressed another kiss onto his cheek, digging her hand into the bowl and continuing her snack. Another hand sneaked into the bowl as Shepard stealthily reached for a chip, he succeeded but she gave him a light slap on the wrist as punishment. "Oi, get off my food!"

"Smells like you burnt it though."

"I tried to make hot chocolate like you did, with proper bars of chocolate," She shook her head sadly. "Didn't work."

"Did you melt the chocolate using hot water or just over the stove?"

"Over the stove."

"There's your problem," He grinned. "If you just heat it directly you'll burn it, you have to use a Bain Marie."

"I see," Miranda took another mouthful of chips as they both fell silent. She glanced around at the piles of papers and data-pads surrounding them. "Bit of a mess."

"Sorry," Shepard looked a bit sheepish. "It's how I work best, as you know."

Miranda took a closer look at the papers. Many of them were handwritten, in Shepard's own hand from the pen lying next to him. It prompted a memory from the Collector mission, when he had handed her his first mission report after recruiting Garrus, Mordin, and Zaeed in one day on Omega. It had been handwritten in a neat and elegant script, full of small diagrams and highly detailed. He had continued to give her handwritten reports for the remainder of the mission, and it had been very surprising for her indeed.

"Why do you write by hand so often?"

"It's a long story," He shifted backwards, waving his hand dismissively. "Silly really, from when I was a kid."

"I'm sure it isn't silly," Miranda nudged him. "Spill."

"Fine, I must have been about four at the time though I can't remember where mom was stationed," He smiled. "We had a box room that we used for storing stuff in, most of the time it was locked. I was playing with a bouncy ball and it went nuts and through the door."

"You were banned from that room?"

"I wasn't meant to go in without mom, the boxes were all stacked really high and I was a bit clumsy at that age," He took another chip from the bowl. "I crept in with the attention of getting it out and going, but it went into an open box at the back."

Miranda's curiosity was peaked. "What was in there?"

"Papers, pages and pages of papers," He smiled again, rather fondly. "You remember I told you about the stuff my dad made, the old mechanical stuff?"

"Of course."

"Every time he made something he would write out exactly what he had done to make it, complete with technical drawings and diagrams."

"So they could be re-created?"

"I don't know to be honest," He stretched his arms out with a yawn before continuing. "But I was fascinated by his writing, it was so neat, so smart. Couldn't tell you why but it fascinated me, I was obsessed."

She cocked her head, it was a weird story indeed. "Did your mother find it out?"

"Yep, she found it really amusing."

"I think it's cute."

"I really wanted to be able to write like that so I took a bunch of papers and copied his style. First I copied letters, then words, followed by whole sentences," He chuckled. "I went through thousands of pieces of paper, it drove mom nuts."

"Was there a particular reason you liked it?"

"I don't know really, maybe..." He paused. "Maybe I felt closer to him, like it was something he was teaching me. Maybe I just wanted to impress my friends with a grown up way of writing, who knows?"

"I think it sounds like the former John," Miranda leaned closer to him. "And it makes a lot of sense to me. It was refreshing to see that you weren't just a marine jarhead with those reports on the Collector mission."

He gave her a challenging grin. "If you thought I was an marine jarhead you wouldn't have spent two years rebuilding me."

"Well marine jarheads are renowned for push ups, sit ups, and pull ups rather than intellect," She smirked. "Though I didn't mind your physical condition par say, it is nice to have a brain to go with it."

"Hah."

There was a short silence before Miranda spoke again. "I reckon you'll be a great father John."

"Possibly."

"No you will be, I know it," Miranda looked down, half muttering to herself. "It's me that'll be the problem."

"What? No way!" Shepard gently pulled her head up and around to look at him. "You will be perfect as a mother."

"Really? I just..." Miranda took a deep breathe, although she was looking forward to being a mother she was terrified. And John needed to know her concerns, even if they were embarrassing. "How will I know what to do? When the baby cries how will I know whether it wants feeding, or changing, or sleep?"

"I couldn't answer that really, and you're forgetting I won't know these things either," He cocked his head. "But you will know, somehow. Think about it, you're carrying our child, you have a bond with it already. You'll know."

"Maybe," She smiled gently. "Why are you so good at making everything seem better?"

"It's a gift," Shepard kissed her on the cheek before getting up, walking out of sight and returning with a small package. "And so is this, though it's for the little one really."

Miranda took the package off him as he sat down, opening it up to reveal a small, white plushy toy.

"That's a cute seal," Miranda placed it on her stomach, giving it a raised eyebrow. "Any particular reason behind it?"

"Everyone should have a seal."

"Erm..." Miranda turned and raised her other eyebrow at him, not quite sure what to say. "Is that another of Shepard's grand statements? Along with 'This is my favourite store on the Citadel' and 'I should go now'."

"It's 'I should go', there's no 'now'," He grinned. "And everyone should have a seal just because."

"Right."

He frowned. "It's not silly."

"No, not at all," Miranda tried to suppress a grin. "It's very sensible, I don't think the human life is complete without a seal either."

"You're pulling my leg now."

"You can handle it big man."

"Well that's a bit rich..." He smirked, patting her on her pregnant stomach. "Coming from the big woman!"

"Shepard! That is really rude, and very mean." Miranda huffed, crossing her arms and turning away from him. Shepard threw his arms around her shoulders, pulling her back to him and placing a passionate kiss on her lips.

"Sorry, that was a bit low."

"You are such an ass," She narrowed her eyes. "Hot chocolate, now!"


	12. Chapter 12

**28****th**** November 2187 – Crucible pulse + 14 months**

"OK then, your turn Randa," Miranda rolled her eyes as her younger sister smiled deviously. "If...If Shepard had been a woman, exactly the same personality and mind, would you have fallen for him. Well her, technically."

"Ori, that's ridiculous," Miranda dropped her gaze to the glass of wine in her sister's hand. "You are really bad with drink."

"No I am not," Oriana pointed an accusatory finger at her sister. "You're just trying to dodge the question. You know the rules, you have to answer."

"This is a stupid game Ori," Miranda sighed. "I don't know, is the answer."

"Well you see past Shepard's appearance right?"

"Of course, I'm not shallow Ori!"

"Exactly. Therefore, in theory, it shouldn't make a difference."

"Well it would, think about it," Miranda took a sip of her hot chocolate. "We're heterosexual, we look at men and women differently. I have no doubt that I would be very friendly with a female version of John, but not lovers. I don't swing that way."

"That's rubbish, imagine an exact replica of his personality," Oriana gave her a knowing look. "You told me that you had enough of the same old men, the ones that were nothing but muscles. You said Shepard's body was only a benefit, a rather special one should I add, and that his mind was what intrigued you."

"I...Well..." Miranda lowered her voice. "I'm not on that team though Ori."

Oriana grinned mercilessly. "So you've never experimented with another woman?"

"I won't answer that, it isn't my turn now."

"Oh. My. God. You have haven't you?" Oriana's eyes were full of amusement. "I won't tell, but what happened?"

"It was a long time ago, and it wasn't anything serious," Miranda glared. "Honestly, it was a kiss and nothing else. Don't say anything to Shepard, it might get him far too excited."

"Hah!" Oriana laughed, calming herself before speaking far more seriously. "Speaking of Shepard, where is he?"

"Working," Miranda sighed again. "He'll join us when dinner arrives."

"He seems to be really busy with all this Council work."

"Yes, rather busy," Miranda shook her head. "Too busy."

"Is that a bad thing?" Oriana pressed tentatively. "Are they over working him?"

"No, it's the usual," She took another sip of hot chocolate. "He's over working himself."

"Why? Is he still having those nightmares?"

Miranda paused before answering, she regretted telling her sister about them. It wasn't that Oriana would tell anyone, but they were incredibly private for Shepard. He struggled with being open about them with Miranda, so why should she of gone and told someone else? It was true that she had been rather unsure how to deal with the problem, but maybe she should have kept it to herself. Still, what was done was done, and she was sure Shepard wouldn't be too annoyed if he ever found out.

"He is, rather often unfortunately," Now Miranda couldn't stop herself from spilling. "Oh Ori, I hate it when he has them. It makes him seem helpless, a bit like a child even."

"So, you reckon he's trying to overwork to tire himself?"

"Yeah, but it isn't working. And he really doesn't enjoy it," Miranda scowled. "I regret getting him to go for it."

"But he's doing a good job, or so I reckon," Oriana smiled. "The public are really behind him, that's what's important at the moment. And the right things are being done, the recovery is heading in the right way."

"Yes, but he doesn't enjoy it," Miranda protested. "He gave up what he enjoyed."

"Being a soldier?"

"Yep, and being a SPECTRE," Miranda lowered her voice once more. "I worry that this is enough for him, that he's content with this life."

"He loves it here, he loves being with you. It's obvious," Oriana moved from the other side of the corner sofa to sit right next to her sister. "And you worry too much, in fact the pair of you do. He probably thinks the same thing, is this enough for you? And is it?"

"Yeah, but it's different for me. I did a whole variety of work at Cerberus, all of which I was rather good at. I can do any of those things as a job once the baby is a bit older and I'll be happy," She frowned. "And that's organised, I'm going to have a team at Huerta. We're going to be working on all sorts of medical ailments, curing the incurable. I would love to do that every day for the rest of my life, and then I have a family to come home to."

Oriana had a sympathetic expression. "And Shepard?"

"He is doing something because he feels obliged, not because he wants to. I know he wants this family, but what if he wants to go back into service?" Miranda looked down. "I don't know if I could cope with that, but it's selfish of me to stop him doing what he wants and loves."

"He loves you."

"And he gave up everything to be with me," Miranda looked up at her sister. "He almost gave up the galaxy on Horizon, we were all bloody lucky that he survived. But our relationship almost cost the war, I don't want it to cost him his happiness."

"That's ridiculous, I doubt he could be happier than he is," Oriana sighed herself. "If he didn't want this, then why did he risk everything on Horizon? I don't know him that well but, from what I've gleaned, John Shepard doesn't seem the type to just lose it over anything."

"I...Well you're right I suppose," Miranda furrowed her brows. "Maybe I'm just being stupid."

"No you're not Randa, trust me," Oriana took a gulp of wine. "You're being understandable, honestly."

They were interrupted by the doorbell, chiming loudly through the house. As expected Legion went nuts, sprinting out of the living room and barking wildly at the door. A few seconds later there was the sound of the door opening, followed by conversation. The one voice was Shepard's but the other was also unmistakable, the loud and booming Italian accent of Luigi Giovani. Oriana raised her eyebrows at the voice. Miranda rolled her eyes.

A minute later Shepard entered the living room, followed by Luigi. He was dressed in his usual open neck suit, a large and friendly smile across his face. The man was in his fifties, with thinning hair and a growing waistline, but that didn't prevent the seemingly unending youthfullness that radiated from him. His arms were laden with carrier bags, the enticing smell of the food within wafting over to Miranda.

"Ah, Miss Lawson," He placed down the bags. "As beautiful as ever, but who is this bella donna? Surely a relation, yes I see it now. Your sister, no?"

"Yes, this is Oriana," Miranda paused before continuing, saying that she was her twin would probably be rather complicated. "My younger sister."

"Younger? You look like twins." Luigi took a slight bow before them before heading over to Oriana, giving her a peck on each cheek. When he had done this to Miranda for the first time she had to refrain from punching him, the Italian courtesy had been completely lost on her. But Oriana took it in her stride, smiling back enthusiastically. "Anyway, I am honoured to meet you."

"Likewise Mr...?"

"Giovani, Luigi Giovani. I run La Boheme in the village."

"I remember Miranda saying about it," Oriana gestured at the food bags. "I hear the food's awesome."

"Oh it's the best," Luigi winked at her sister. "Nothing but the best for the galaxies ideal couple."

"Jeez, really Luigi?" Shepard spoke for the first time since entering the room. "Do you really have to use that phrase, it's ridiculous."

"But it's true, and soon there will be a little bambino as well," Luigi inclined his head to Miranda. "Of course you have to bring the bambino to Uncle Luigi, to make sure it learns the best way to live."

"And that is?"

Luigi spread out his arms theatrically. "The way of Italia, of course!"

Miranda couldn't help but chuckle, despite his eccentricities she was warming to the lovable man. "We'll make sure to do that, thanks for the food Luigi. Hope it isn't too cold for the delivery."

"Nothing can stop me from reaching my favourite patrons, not even metre high snow drifts," He gave them another bow. "I shall leave you in peace, enjoy!"

He gave both Miranda and Oriana a kiss on each cheek, grabbed Shepard into a bone breaking hug, and gave Legion a pat on the head before taking his leave with Shepard.

"Wow, he's something else," Oriana grinned. "I've never met a proper Italian before."

"His whole family is like that," Shepard had returned to the living room with plates and cutlery, none of them were bothered about eating a proper sit down meal and Miranda was more than happy to laze on the sofa and gorge on brilliant food in front of the vid-screen. "They're such nice people, they have a great outlook on life."

"I found them a bit overbearing at first, but they are nice," Miranda poked into one of the bags, pulling out a large stick of garlic bread. She noticed that it was covered in extra parmesan cheese, just how she liked it. "And they always remember how customers like their dishes served."

Oriana and Shepard shared a look as Miranda bit straight into the bread stick, both grinning at one another. She ignored them and continued to enjoy her starter, grabbing a plate to catch the crumbs. Shepard, meanwhile, unwrapped one of the pizzas from the bags, cutting it into slices and handing over a few to Oriana.

"So Oriana, how are things at the colony?"

"Pretty good actually," Oriana smiled enthusiastically. "I'm really enjoying the work, and we're making great headway."

"Sounds good," Shepard took a bite of pizza, swallowing before continuing. "But there was that problem a few months ago, what was that about?"

"Oh my god, you have no idea Shepard," Oriana gave a scowl. Miranda smirked, she knew what had happened, but Shepard recoiled at the familiar glare. "I was so bloody annoyed, I almost killed him."

"Right. Who?"

"Thomas, he's a guy who I work with really closely at the colony. And he made the emergency call."

Miranda nudged Shepard. "Oh, you'll love this story John."

"The call was for a problem with general things, not security or anything like that, but it's the call used for things like immediate halting of construction for whatever reason," Oriana shrugged. "I didn't need to return from the Citadel, but I thought it was a good idea."

"So, had something stupid happened?"

"That's the point, nothing had bloody happened," Oriana shook her head. "He made a false call to get me to come to see him, I ended up meeting him in a grassy meadow with no one else about. Thomas had set up a picnic for me."

"What?" Shepard's jaw dropped. "He dragged you all the way from the Citadel for a date in a field?"

"Well he didn't know I was on the Citadel, but yes that's the essence of it."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "So what did you do?"

"I stormed off from his picnic, honestly I have never been so angry, and went home to calm down," Oriana took a sip of her wine before picking up a slab of pizza. "I went to his house the next day."

Miranda grinned as Oriana chomped through the pizza slice, nudging Shepard again. "Now this is the unbelievable part."

"I'm getting to that Randa," Oriana rolled her eyes before turning back to Shepard. "So we had a bit of a row outside his house, all the neighbours were watching. I admit that maybe I lost it a little bit too much."

"I sense a but coming on."

"Well, you know when you're having a row with someone and it's really intense? When you're really close to each other, and really in each others faces?" Shepard nodded. "Well we were like that, and then rather suddenly we were...kinda making out. I was a bit surprised, and so was he, when we found ourselves rolling around in his hallway snogging each other."

"Erm...wow," Shepard rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, but then he began to laugh rather loudly. "That's hilarious, I never knew the Lawson's had a particular method for relationships."

"What?" Oriana furrowed her brows before a look of realisation appeared on her face. She also began to laugh. "Of course, that's how you two started isn't it?"

"Yep," Miranda polished off her garlic bread, sucking her fingers clean. "Great minds think alike right?"

"It's a risky tactic girls, what if the guy doesn't take the bait?" Shepard grinned. "You just end up with a row."

"None of you can resist us," Miranda gave Oriana a wink. "We're too good."

"Too true Randa," Oriana smirked back. "My little niece will be like that too, you'll have your hands rather full Shepard."

"How many times? It's clearly a boy," Shepard protested. "You'll see."

"No, we won't John. But don't worry," Miranda smiled sweetly. "You still have Legion."

"Yeah, that's true," On cue the big dog trotted over to Shepard, giving a massive yawn as he patted it on the head. "On the rather small chance that you are right we'll retreat to the shed and play around with power tools. Doing manly stuff, really butch manly stuff."

Miranda rolled her eyes extravagantly, catching Oriana performing the exact same action in perfect synchronisation. Shepard swallowed rather nervously at the two sisters before speaking tentaticely. "So, anything good on tonight?"

"Not really," Oriana shook her head. "Just that rubbish doctor program Miranda likes."

"It is not rubbish," Miranda protested weakly. "OK it has some bad acting, but it's interesting."

"Whatever, have you got any films?"

"Take a look behind you Oriana." Shepard grinned, though Miranda rolled her eyes.

"He always wants to show off his collection."

"Wow!" Oriana was stood in front of the shelves to the left of the vid-screen, running her finger across one row of vids. "You have hundreds, I've never seen so many hard copy vids in one place."

"Yeah, I like having the physical things on display, rather than just downloads," Shepard reached into one box of food to pull out some strips of Milanese chicken and place them on his plate. "Choose something to watch if there's anything that takes your pick."

"OK," Miranda watched her sister peruse through the vids, she was looking for a couple of minutes before she pulled one out. "What's this? 'The Alamo'."

"Oh God no Ori," Miranda shook her head jokingly. "Not a western, please no."

"A western?"

"You aren't familiar with westerns?" Shepard gave her a knowing look. "Well you will be, I'll have to teach you as I did with your sister. Basically it's about cowboys, and it's a classic. It's about this small force of Texans holding out against a huge force of Mexicans, a bit of a last stand. There's no Indians, but it's still a western. And it's got John Wayne in it."

"It's a really rubbish film from the mid twentieth century is what he means," Miranda smirked as she began to fill her bowl with pasta. "He only likes cowboy films cause him and Garrus were cowboys, minus the hats. You know, I reckon those two would suit being cowboys Ori, two mates going off into the wilderness together. A bit of brotherly love going on."

"Not sure about that," Shepard muttered quietly, though Miranda could still hear him. "That sounds more like Brokeback Mountain to me."

"What was that?"

"Nothing," Shepard was quick to clear that up, changing the subject back to the vid. "Oriana, put that on if you want."

"OK."

Oriana placed the disk into the vid-screen, hoping back onto the sofa as they all resumed eating. Miranda opened her omin-tool up, searching up the phrase 'Brokeback Mountain'. A few minutes later she found what it was, an old film about a pair of cowboy best friends. Who were actually gay. She broke out into fits of laughter, the others staring at her rather bemused.

"What's so funny Miri?"

"Oh, I'm just imagining you and Garrus in cowboy hats and on horses," Miranda grinned. "And then becoming gay lovers like those two in Brokeback Mountain."

"You will forget you ever saw that Miranda Lawson," Shepard huffed. "And Oriana, you never heard that!"

**A/N Next chapter is pretty important...Hint hint...**


	13. Chapter 13

**12****th**** December 2187 – Crucible Pulse + 14 months**

Shepard was downstairs in the gym when he got the message. He was in mid press up when the omni-tool on his arm buzzed, and at first he ignored it. But he recognised the rhythm of the buzz as a message marked urgent, so he finished his current press up to check the message.

_8:42 M.L – GETUPSTAIRSNOW!_

He frowned, Miranda never wrote in full capitals. And never, as she put it, misused the English language with incorrectly constructed sentences. Then his eyes widened. It was about the time after all. Shepard shot up, sprinting out of the gym, past the pool, and up the spiral staircase to the ground floor. He slowed as Miranda came down from the first floor, the pair meeting in front of the fish tank. Miranda was in her faux fur bath robe, and he noticed Miranda was sweating lightly with one hand clutched across her stomach.

"John, it's coming."

He wasn't really prepared for those words, Shepard had actually been dreading this day for the last few weeks. He didn't say anything for a few seconds.

"You mean the baby?"

Miranda hissed back through clenched teeth. "No shit Sherlock."

"Oh god," Shepard placed his hands on her shoulders, rubbing lightly. "OK then, lets not panic. We just have to get you to the hospital."

She raised an eyebrow. "You're the one panicking."

"Come on, we have to..." Shepard had a realisation. "Oh shit."

"What?"

He walked over to the front door, pulling it open. Outside the December weather was brutal, the last week had been nothing but blizzards. And the snow on the ground was piled high in huge drifts, so big that a large pile of snow fell inside the house as the door opened. Shepard wasn't worried about the snow on the ground though, he was more worried about the sky.

"The weather's horrific Miri, I don't know if it's safe to drive the skycar in this blizzard," He cursed again. "And I leant the fucking shuttle to Zaeed."

"Brilliant John, just brilliant." Shepard turned back to Miranda, forcing the door shut. He could hear the pain behind her voice, and that sent his mind into more of a panic.

"The emergency services can get to us though, they'll have vehicles that can get to us."

"I doubt it."

"Well I'll call them," He hurried over to Miranda. "Hang on Miri."

"It's not me that you have to tell that too."

He ignored her retort, opening up his omni-tool once more. Shepard dialled the number for the emergency services, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for someone on the other end to pick up. After a few seconds of the dialling tone the voice of a young woman could be heard.

"This is the emergency services, how can I help you?"

"Yeah, Hi. We need help quickly, my...erm...partner has gone into labour," Shepard was aware of just how hysterical he sounded. "But there's a snowstorm, we can't get from our house to the hospital."

"OK, keep calm Sir. Firstly, I need your address."

Shepard replied with the information, rattling it off rather quickly. His eyes were focused on Miranda however, she had sunk to the floor in front of the fish tank and was clutching her stomach once more. Her eyes were closed as he could see pain flicker across her face as she had another contraction.

"Right Sir, I can see why you have a problem the weather reports are horrific for the area and we are still rather stretched for resources from the war," There was a pause. "But I can get ground units to you however, don't worry. Can I also have a name please?"

"Yeah, my partner is Miranda Lawson. I'm John Shepard."

There was a pause on the other end of the line, Shepard cursed once more. Now was not the time for someone to break down in hysterics. He heard other voices on the other end of the line before the woman spoke to him again.

"Help is on it's way, though it may be a few hours."

"What, that's ridiculous," Shepard shook his head in disbelief. "If the owner of my local pizza place in the village can get to my house then why can't some MAKOs?"

"Well it's getting to the village that's the problem, the..."

Shepard took another glance back at Miranda, he really was worried about her and he interrupted the woman. "I really don't care, but please tell them to hurry. I have to get back to Miranda."

"Understood Sir. I'll be available on this extension whenever you need help," There was another pause. "And may I add, it's an honour..."

"Yeah yeah, thank you."

With that he closed his omni-tool, hurrying back over to Miranda. He knelt next to her, taking her hand gently.

"There are some medical teams on their way, in MAKOs."

"That's great, but the nearest base is about an hour from here in good weather," Miranda shook her head. "The woman's right, it'll take a while."

"Just..."

"John, listen to me," Miranda cupped his cheek with a hand, forcing their eyes to meet. "You have to help me until they arrive, possibly you'll have to deliver the baby."

He swallowed rather forcibly, this was his worst case scenario for the birth.

"Please John, I really need you now."

"Right," He nodded his resolve, taking her hands with his own. "Tell me what to do, I'll help you."

"Well I'm into Established Labour already, my waters went a few minutes ago. Surprisingly quickly actually," She grimaced again, looking away from him. "We'll need some supplies. Towels, water, snacks. And this could take anywhere up of of eight hours, I should try to keep busy."

"Right." He jumped up and bolted up the stairs, reaching one of the spare bathrooms on the first floor and grabbing a large pile of towels. Shepard sprinted back downstairs, tossing them down and rushing into the kitchen. He threw open the fridge, grabbing several bottles of water and rushing back to Miranda.

"Here we go."

"And the snacks?"

"Damn," He sprinted back into the kitchen, grabbing several packs of biscuits and crisps and returning to her. "Got em."

"OK," Miranda took several deep breaths, closing her eyes as she did so. "Don't panic now John, you have to keep calm OK?"

"Shouldn't it be me saying that to you?"

"Yes but you're hopeless in these situations, I am not."

"Right."

"Help me up," Shepard placed an arm around her back, pulling her up with his other hand. He helped steady her, rather tentatively. "I should try to keep moving and possibly distracted."

"Right, you said to do stuff yeah?" She nodded. "We could put the Christmas decorations up?"

"Don't be ridiculous," She rolled her eyes. "I can't really do that."

"You can order me about, tell me where to put stuff," At her disapproving gaze he shrugged. "Right, point taken, that's inappropriate. A film instead?"

XXXXXXXX

The next four hours passed rather slowly for them. Miranda's contractions began to increase in length and occurred more often, and she was clearly in an increasing amount of pain. Help had still not shown up and Shepard's anxiety had gone through the roof. Initially they had been able to distract themselves, but now it was impossible. The most worrying thing for Shepard was that Miranda had lost her initial calmness, and wasn't being particularly coherent. He was now in contact with Dr Walters, but that didn't make up for the fact that he was on video call and not present. In truth Shepard didn't trust that he was up to the task of delivering a baby without instructions from an expert that was present. All he knew was that he had to keep positive.

"Miri, you're doing great," Shepard rubbed her hand softly. "It'll be over soon, don't worry."

"You've been saying that for bloody hours, and where the bloody hell are those MAKOs?" Miranda hissed, glancing away from him once more. "John, you're gonna have to check how things are."

"With the medical teams?"

"No with the baby," She shook lightly. "You'll have to check how dilated I am."

"Can't Walters..."

"Are you seriously going to send him pictures of what's going on?" She scoffed. "Besides he won't be able to tell, you have to look."

His eyes widened, looking down there was something he had so far managed to avoid. It terrified him, and wasn't something he wanted to do. "Miri..."

Miranda practically shouted back in reply. "Shepard, grow a pair of balls and look."

That shut him up. He swallowed nervously, preparing himself mentally. He knew he had to do it, there was no other option. Miranda needed him, and that was that. Shepard peeled open her dressing gown, about to shift his eyes south. But he stopped as there was a rapid set of knocks at the door.

"Yes! Yes!" He leapt up, practically jumping for joy. "We're in here, it's unlocked."

There was a thump as the door opened, followed by rapid footsteps and Legion's barking. As the medical team entered the room Shepard could not have been more relieved, and a huge smile broke across his face. Miranda appeared much more relieved as well, her lips moving in a silent thanks.

Shepard stood back as the four members of the team began to unpack various pieces of equipment. Miranda waved her hand at him though, gesturing for him to come closer. He did, gripping her hand once more.

He looked at one of the team. "Is there anything I can do?"

"Just hold her hand and try to keep her happy."

"Well," Miranda beat him to the reply. "At least he can bloody do that!"

XXXXXXXX

Shepard stood over the cot, just watching. They had decided to have the cot in their bedroom for at least the first few months, so they could keep a close eye on the baby. Elizabeth, as she was called. It was Miranda's idea and, though he had been reluctant at first, she had a point. It was lovely to have their child so close. Their perfect child.

Elizabeth Shepard was a beautiful baby, though all babies were probably like that in their parents eyes. She had the exact eyes of her mother, azure in colour and filled with curiosity and intelligence. Her skin was rather porcelain in colour, though not quite as pale as Miranda's. And he suspected that her hair would come through as raven black, she would likely be a mini Miranda in a few years time. But that wasn't a problem for him at all.

And then there was the look Elizabeth had about her. Miranda was fast asleep, tucked in bed and snoring lightly, but the baby was wide awake. Shepard had imagined she would sleep or cry, but she happily lay in the cot with her curious eyes constantly watching him. He sneaked another glance at Miranda, she was completely out for the count, and turned back to Elizabeth with a smile. He carefully wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up into his arms, making sure to support the head. She squirmed for a couple of seconds before settling, still watching him with those azure eyes. Quietly, he crept out of the room, heading downstairs with her in his arms.

Shepard took her down to the ground floor, wandering exactly what to do with her. He didn't know what people actually did with babies, other than talk to them in ridiculous voices. In his opinion, you should talk to a child normally.

"So..." His voice drew Elizabeth's attention once more. "This is your house Lizzie. Can I call you Lizzie?"

Elizabeth's eyes continued to stare at him, and he was sure he caught some eye rolling.

"Yeah, I guess I can," He reached the bottom of the stairs, stopping as Elizabeth made a cooing noise. Her gaze was off him and towards the bright blue of the fish tank, highly luminescent in the darkness. He took her over to the tank, angling her so she could see easily. "So you like fish eh? I do too, these ones are pretty cool. Look at that one, she's a Thessian dartfish. A particularly nice fish."

Lizzie flicked her gaze between the fish tank and his face, rather happily watching both. Shepard guessed that the fish were probably rather intriguing for a new born, what with all the vivid colours and the trickling sound of the pump. After a few minutes he moved away, heading into the living room and settling down on the sofa.

"What about some television?" He switched on the vid-screen, the channel still set onto the news. He was rather pleased to see Emily Wong was still doing well on the Citadel News Network. She was sat in the studio, finishing a report.

"_...and that's how Gary the budgie learnt to snowboard."_

Shepard raised an eyebrow, looking down at Elizabeth. "A snowboarding budgie? That's ridiculous don't you think?" His reply was another stare, though he was sure he caught a glimpse of a smirk at the edges of her mouth. He turned his attention back to the vid-screen.

"_So, now back to our main story – have engineers reached a breakthrough on how to move the Citadel back to it's home in the Serpent Nebula?" Emily spun her chair to the right. "Well here with me is one of the engineers working on the project, Dr Chevos."  
_

_The camera panned to the right as well, showing a Salarian in the studio with Emily. He nodded and smiled at the camera, speaking in his races usual manner. "Thank you for having me Emily."_

"_That's a pleasure, so what can you tell our viewers?"_

"_Well we have been busy trying to work out whether we can safely transport the entire of the Citadel, with all of it's populace and contents, through the mass relays back to the Serpent Nebula."_

"_Surely if the Reapers managed to move it, we can too?"_

"_Unfortunately it isn't that simple. The Reapers were, as we all know, highly advanced and intelligent. They may have known just how to manipulate Prothean technologies like the Citadel and the Mass Relays in ways we just can't manage."_

"The Reapers built it all!" Shepard exclaimed rather loudly at the vid-screen, momentarily forgetting about trying to keep Elizabeth in a peaceful state. He suddenly remembered and looked down to give her an apologetic look, receiving what was most definitely a cold glare in response. "Sorry, but it's ridiculous that they're still trying to keep that lie up. I'm getting the Council to reveal it."

"_But now we have been giving both the Citadel and the Relays a closer study, checking their inner workings in ways we would never have thought of before the war. Now we..."  
_

"_Hold on a second Dr Chevos," The camera panned back to Emily as she interrupted him, she had a wide smile on her face as she spoke to the camera again. "We've had some breaking news just in."_

Shepard shifted his hold on Elizabeth, leaning back into the sofa more comfortably. "Oh, wonder what's happened now eh?"

"_We have heard from Alliance sources that a medical team in an all terrain MAKO were called out into a mountain range on Earth called the Alps. They were travelling to a rather hard to reach area in response to an emergency call made by Councillor John Shepard," A huge grin was now on her face. "I am pleased to announce that Miranda Lawson gave birth to their child some time this afternoon, though we don't know any other details at the moment. All of us here at Citadel News offer our congratulations to them."_

Shepard's mouth dropped. "How the hell do they know? Oh god," He frowned, looking back down at Elizabeth. "Your grandmother is going to kill me, We really should have called her by now."

It was then that he realised Elizabeth was finally asleep. Shepard smiled, reaching carefully for the remote and turning the vid-screen off. Even more carefully he stood up, trying his best not to wake the baby, and slowly headed out of the room. As he reached the bottom of the stairs he stopped though, hearing the sound of a communication request on the QEC. The buzzing was accompanied with the Ride Of The Valkyries, and that meant only one person. His mother.

In the end Shepard decided he should probably face her, walking into the study and pressing a couple of buttons on the QEC. Then he stepped into the ring, being transported immediately from their house to the command deck of an Alliance dreadnought. His mother stood in front of the QEC with her arms crossed and a stern expression on her face.

"John Shepard, why did it take a news report to..."

"Shh," He interrupted her, something he rarely had the nerve to do. "I've just got her off to sleep."

Hannah's expression immediately softened to a wondrous gaze as she noticed the sleeping baby in his arms, she walked as close as she could get to their holographic projection. "Oh John, she's beautiful."

"Her names Elizabeth."

"A lovely name John," His mother continued her inspection of the baby, completely ignoring the stares of her entire bridge crew. "How is Miranda?"

"Rather tired I guess, she's asleep upstairs," His mother nodded sympathetically. "But Christ, I thought I was gonna have to deliver her myself, the medical team only just arrived in time."

"Well you seem to have managed most of the labour it seems, unlike your father," His mother grinned. "He just passed out at the first sign of blood, almost missed your birth!"

"Heh, well it is pretty scary from our point of view. We have no idea what's happening."

"Suppose that's true," His mother began to examine Elizabeth once more. "I reckon you should probably take someone off to bed though, not that I'm trying to butt in or be an interfering grandmother already that is."

"Yeah right," Shepard grinned in reply. "I'll take her off now though, do you reckon you'll be able to get off duty to come and see her soon?"

"Hang on a second," She turned away from the QEC, barking across the command deck. "XO, get me another ship to take our place, I'm not sitting out on the fringes of the Terminus systems on bloody guard duty whilst my grandchild needs fussing over."

Shepard rolled his eyes. "Subtle as ever mother."

"Zip it you, get her off to bed," Hannah took a final glance at Elizabeth. "See you soon darlings, and give my love to Miranda."

"Will do mom." With that he stepped back from the QEC ring, returning back to the study in the house. Elizabeth was still fast asleep, surprising him with how relaxed she was about her surroundings, she hadn't even stirred. He headed out of the study and slowly up the stairs, taking care not to disturb the baby.

Eventually he reached their bedroom on the top floor, lowering Elizabeth into her cot next to Miranda's side of the bed. He pulled up the blanket she had kicked off sometime earlier from the bottom of the cot to cover the baby, tucking her in snugly. He also grabbed the plushy seal that was at the bottom of the mattress, placing it next to Elizabeth. He smiled, gave her a kiss on the forehead, and sat back on the bed, careful not to disturb Miranda. Clearly that care wasn't needed as he heard motion behind him before a pair of arms wrapped around his chest and Miranda leant her chin on his shoulder.

"Hope you aren't disturbing our baby John."

"Na, she's hardly slept so far," He turned his head to face her with a grin. "Unlike you."

"Hey I've worked today," Miranda placed a kiss on his cheek. "And so have you, I really couldn't have done this without you."

"Sure you could've," Shepard's smile disappeared. "However the media have already found out from someone who was involved with the medical team."

"What?" Miranda huffed. "That's ridiculous, only Oriana knows at the moment. What about telling our friends?"

"Well they'll all know after Emily Wong announced it to the galaxy," He rolled his eyes. "And I had a QEC call from mother literally seconds after the report, she wasn't best pleased to find out from a third party. Still, her attitude changed when she saw Lizzie."

Miranda raised both eyebrows in surprise. "You took our half day old daughter in a QEC?"

"She didn't even wake up," Shepard turned his gaze back to the cot. "Sleeping without a care, just like now. I thought she would cry, everyone says babies cry all the time."

"Oriana was like that when I rescued her, very quiet but very curious," Miranda removed her arms from around him, lying back down in bed. "Some babies are, others are really loud and cry a lot. I'm happy she's the former."

"Yeah, I agree," Shepard stood up, walking around to his side of the bed and discarding his top and jeans. He slid under the duvet, wrapping his arms around Miranda. "My mom is going to try and visit pretty soon, she's gonna get herself off duty pretty soon."

"That'll be nice for Lizzie," Miranda hummed lightly. "And I rather like that...Lizzie. It's got a ring to it."

"Yeah, she seemed to like it too," There was a few seconds of silence as the two lay there, watching the cot happily. "I love you Miri, and today's been just the best day ever."

"I agree, though I haven't felt pain like that for a hell of a long time. But it was worth it, most definitely. I think we deserve this don't you?" She paused, shifting in his arms and intertwining her hands with his own. "I love you too John."

Then they lapsed into silence, Miranda falling asleep first. Gradually Shepard closed his eyes as well, falling into a sleep filled with pleasant dreams for the first time in months.

**A/N Hope there weren't too many medical/realism errors, please point them out if that's the case. **

**In response to one comment, there isn't really a definite plot line running throughout. This is just a series of one shots, focusing around family life. There are a couple, and will be many more, of mini plots running through chapters though.**

**As ever, let me know what you think so far guys.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N Well, sorry for the delay – took a while to get this right. I wasn't sure what mini scenes to include so there was a lot of trial and error. I may make some changes, though I'll let you guys know if I do.**

**Also, during the last week the story hit 100 followers. I'm actually amazed that so many people are actually enjoying this, it's really encouraging for me and also awesome!**

**Anyway, here it is.**

**18****th**** December 2187 – Crucible Pulse + 15 months**

The human studied the screens in front of her, double checking the data arrayed in the three different displays. Each displayed a different list, the first a list of contacts, the second a list of items, and the third a list of timings and locations. It was her perfectly organised plan, it had to be a perfectly organised plan.

She took a sip of coffee from a mug as she looked down the list of contacts. There were twenty names on the list, the majority experts in various deadly fields with the rest being experts in supporting roles. It wasn't often that they were all arrayed in one place, but this event required it. All of them were confirmed to be there, not one of them had even considered turning down her plan.

Then she glanced over the second list. A whole host of items were listed, from the small and mundane to huge pieces of kit, and their location was also noted. They were all spread out among the contacts, all carrying several pieces. It made the plan easier, it made it harder for them to be discovered.

The final list was also given a last check. The entire operation was noted in detail, when and where everyone was to arrive, the nature of their insertion, how they were to go about preparing their own objectives. It was comprehensive, very comprehensive. And it had to be.

She leaned back in her chair, rather pleased with her master piece of work. It wasn't as if she had been taught how to do this kind of work though, it was something she had worked out herself. But she knew it would work, it was so meticulously planned. So detailed. And, as she had already reminded herself, it had to be.

After all, it wasn't as if her sister would just let the most ramshackle, dangerous, yet loveable group of rogues near her newborn baby. Miranda Lawson required a little bit of duping, and Oriana was probably the only one who could get away with it.

XXXXXXXX

Shepard slowly awoke, groggily opening his eyes. He rubbed away the sleep before rolling over to face Miranda.

"Hey you," Miranda gave him a smirk. "Glad you finally joined us."

"It's still early Miri." Shepard pushed himself around again to gaze at her, immediately stopping and lying on his back again. Miranda was sat up with a towel over her lap, breastfeeding Lizzie in her arms. Shepard found these moments rather awkward, he always felt as if he was intruding. So he did his usual ploy of lying next to her and engaging in conversation but not actually looking at them. But, as ever, Miranda noticed.

"God John, you're not still being squeamish are you?" He could practically hear her eye rolling. "Breastfeeding is a perfectly normal and natural process, don't be pathetic."

"Yeah but it's kind of awkward for me," There was a scrabbling noise as Legion jumped up onto the bed next to him, clamouring for attention as well. Shepard gave him a pat on the head as he continued. "It's not really something I feel particularly comfortable to butt in on, if I'm being honest."

"Oh that's silly and you know it, just man up," Miranda elbowed him, skilfully keeping Elizabeth aloft with her other arm. The action got Shepard's attention, and Miranda gave him a toothy grin. "And besides, it's nothing you haven't done before is it?"

"Erm..." Shepard ran a hand along the back of his neck. "That's...uhm...that's a little different. Yeah that's...just don't...erm..."

Miranda began to laugh loudly. The noise distracted Elizabeth who immediately began to search around for the source, curious eyes darting around. They settled on Shepard, staring straight into his own with a familiar analysing gaze.

"I love winding you up John, it's so pathetically easy," His eyes flicked up to her own, and so did Lizzie's. "But seriously, you don't have to be like this. It's really not a bother for me, or for Lizzie."

"Yeah," Elizabeth lost interest in him and resumed her feeding, Miranda giving her a smile. Shepard swallowed slightly nervously, but he didn't look away. "Does it feel...well weird?"

"Weird? Not at all."

"Well, what does it feel like?"

"Relaxing, really calming," Miranda shrugged. "Of course that's the oxytocins at work, but there we go."

"Oxytocin?" Shepard scratched his head. "What's one of those when it's at home?"

"A hormone, released in certain situations such as breastfeeding," She readjusted her grip on the baby as she continued to explain. "It's a relaxant, and it helps the bonding process. You should also note that you're getting a dose of oxytocin as well."

"Really?" Shepard gave her a surprised look. "Is it contagious or something."

"Uch, your father really isn't a scientist eh?" Miranda looked back up from the baby with a grin. "Another common action that releases hormones such as oxytocin is stroking a dog, weird I know, but by stroking Legion you're relaxing."

"Well, I do feel pretty chilled out," Shepard turned to look at the St Bernard who was now flat out on it's back next to Shepard with it's paws flailing in the air, demanding the continuation of a belly rub. He gave it a grin. "Thanks for the good vibes buddy."

"When you two are done slobbering over one another you should probably go and take a shower, we have to go and get someone officially named," Miranda leaned her head down, giving Lizzie a huge smile. "Don't we?"

"Yeah it was ten for the appointment right?" Miranda nodded. "Cool, it's pretty much in the centre of Milan, the building has only just been rebuilt. Parking could be tricky."

"Exactly why we have to go early just in case."

"Oh yeah?" Shepard raised an eyebrow. "It's not because you want to take Lizzie on her first of, what I'm sure will be, many luxury shopping trips?"

This time Miranda stammered. "Erm...no?"

"Tut tut, not even a week old and you may well have her breaking my bank account," Shepard pouted comically. "Can't wait to marry her off to some rich bloke."

"Shepard!" Miranda gave him a cold glare, her hiss distracting Elizabeth as well. A second pair of Azure eyes joined her own, presenting two ice cold glares of identical nature. Shepard gulped again, it was rather unnerving.

"Just a joke, no need to commit homicide now..."

"I wouldn't of thought you would be so blasé about things like that."

"Oh don't worry, I'm not," He adopted a serious expression. "Every boyfriend will have thorough background checks from the SPECTRES and from Liara's network, you will scrutinise them thoroughly when we first meet them, and if needs be I'll pay Kasumi to follow them for a few weeks."

"Wow," Miranda raised an eyebrow in genuine surprise. "And I thought I was going to be the overbearing, obsessive, and protective one."

"She is my little baby, and I don't want anyone ever taking advantage of her," Shepard sighed, leaning in closer and giving Elizabeth a kiss on the forehead. "I wish you could stay like this forever, small and totally lovely. No trouble."

"God Shepard, you really are getting into the hang of this 'doting daddy' thing," Miranda smiled tenderly. "But it's rather cute to watch."

"Yeah, yeah." Shepard waved a hand, rolling his own eyes.

Miranda inclined her head at the door. "Now get in that shower."

"Yeah, yeah," Shepard smirked. "Wanna join me?"

"Wow, I've only been waiting for that since her birth," Miranda sighed. "Shepard I had a baby six days ago if you hadn't noticed, I'm hardly in the right state for that, am I?"

"Miri, I was only joking."

"I know, but it won't be long. Honestly," Miranda smiled again. "Just have patience."

"There are a whole host of more important things to me than sex in our relationship Miri, you know that."

"Yes, I know that too but..."

"Legion, stay," Shepard cut off Miranda and stopped the escaping dog before it walked out the door. He walked over to it, having noted a brown stain on the white fur on his back. He knelt down, tentatively taking a sniff at the stain. "Have you been rolling in chocolate? God you need a wash."

The dog looked around at him rather innocently, large eyes jumping out at him. Shepard shook his head, standing up and facing Miranda with a dramatic expression.

"If you won't shower with me," He drew himself upwards. "Then Legion will."

At the mention of a shower the dog bolted, but Shepard was quicker and grabbed it's collar. He marched it into the bathroom, giving Miranda a grin and a wink. She rolled her eyes and shook her head, muttering something to Elizabeth.

XXXXXXXX

The Turian knelt in the snow above the target's location, halfway up a mountain and obscured by a large boulder. He gripped his sniper rifle and studied the view of the targets through the scope, aiming down towards the house.

He watched as the trio left the house, flicking between them. He watched the male shut the front door of the house and lock it before walking towards the waiting skycar out the front. The target walked around to the drivers side of the skycar but stopped at a shout from the female with the baby in her arms. She made a quip as she headed around to the drivers side, giving the man the baby and ordering him to the passenger seat. Then they got into the skycar, taking off a few seconds later.

"They've left," The Turian pressed a hand to his communicator on his visor. "Mission is a go."

"Brilliant!" The reply was rather enthusiastic and a bit too loud, giving the Turian a bit of a shock over his earpiece. Still, he was used to worse problems on a mission.

He folded away his mantis, standing up and turning to his Quarian companion. She gave him a light slap across the face.

"Garrus Vakarian, if I ever see you point a gun at Shepard again I will take it off you and shoot you," She leaned forwards threateningly. "And you can guess where."

Garrus swallowed, taking a step back and rubbing his cheek. Though Tali's slap hadn't been particularly hard it had surprised him. "Spirits Tali! I needed to see when they were coming out."

"You could have taken the scope off," Tali pointed at him with an accusatory finger. "You didn't think of that did you Vakarian?"

"Where I go my sniper goes, you know that," Garrus shrugged. "And anyway, it wasn't loaded, the safety was on, and my talon was no where near the trigger."

"If you say so," Tali picked up her bag lying behind them, grabbing Garrus' and throwing it over to him. He caught it deftly as Tali began to walk away. "C'mon, we need to help out the others with the set up."

She began to descend the hill, carefully treading through the snow drifts. Garrus followed, folding his sniper and placing it in his own bag. In truth he wasn't so sure about Oriana's plan when he first heard it, Miranda had never seemed like the kind of person to enjoy surprise parties thrown by a huge bunch of nosey, dangerous – and not necessarily all – friends. It wasn't as if she was the most sociable person ever, and she hadn't gotten on with all of the crew of the Normandy. But Miranda had improved immensely, and once you got past her exterior she could actually be a pleasant person. Maybe not everyone could see that, but Garrus certainly could. For Shepard's sake, he had made sure he could.

On the other hand, this party wasn't just for Miranda. It was for the child, and that was Shepard's child. And everyone here was close to Shepard, they all wanted to congratulate and meet the new arrival. And Garrus was amongst them, he couldn't be happier for his friend. Everyone agreed Shepard deserved this peaceful life, especially after all he had done.

As they reached the house all of the conspirators had arrived, turning the space in front of the house into a huge mess of a skycar park. Shuttles and cars were parked appallingly, with all of their doors open and their occupants scurrying about already. They didn't know how much time they had before the family returned, and so speed was of the essence. Garrus dodged Grunt, who was dragging a gigantic chocolate fountain through the snow, and spied Oriana in the middle of the chaos. She was shouting out orders, in a rather familiar manner, with an overly enthusiastic grin – one that had been plastered all over her face since that morning when they had met to discuss last minute plans.

"Oriana," Garrus headed over to her, Tali following. "Anything we can do?"

"Garrus, hi," Oriana did a quick check around herself. "Yes, you can help Dr Chakwas put up the bunting in the house."

"Erm..." Garrus scratched his head. "What's 'bunting'?"

"You know what, I'll do it," Oriana looked around again. "Go and help James."

"On it."

Garrus walked around to the Kodiak shuttle that James had 'borrowed' from the Alliance, arriving around the back to see Steve Cortez passing out crates of lager to the marine.

"Now this," Garrus' voice got the humans attention. "Is a job I can do."

XXXXXXXX

"You know, that was a lovely touch with the middle name Miri."

Miranda turned to give him a smile from the pilots seat. "Well, Elizabeth Hannah Shepard has a ring to it."

"My mom'll love it," He looked down at the baby in his arms, Lizzie was sort of smiling at him. Not quite a full on smile, but Shepard could see a tiny curve at the corners of her mouth. She was learning, and learning quickly. He wasn't surprised though, and child of Miranda's was obviously going to be a genius. "And it suits you hey?"

"And she'll look darling in her new outfits, especially that cream, fluffy onesie." Miranda was still smiling as she focused back on the skycar she was flying. "She'll have to be a proper fashion diva, I'll make sure of that."

"Yes but does a six day old baby really need designer clothes?"

"Any girl needs her designer clothes, but any girl of mine..." Miranda gave him another smirk. "Well it's a requirement of life."

"It's a good thing that I have a lot of money then, couldn't imagine how I would pay for two of you and your habits," Shepard adjusted his grip on Elizabeth, rubbing his thumb lightly across her cheek and being rewarded with a squeal. "I don't think an Alliance pension would cover it."

"Oh it most definitely wouldn't."

"Well if you're gonna teach her about fashion then I'll have to oversee the important stuff," He gave Miranda a grin. "Music taste, particular favourite breeds of fish, collecting models, taste in films, you know – the vitals in life."

"Oh god."

"And speaking of vids I can start the education today, there's a brilliant comedy on tonight. It's called Spaceplane!" Shepard couldn't hold in a chuckle at the thought of the film, it was one of his favourite comedies of all time. "It's absolutely hilarious, basically there's a passenger liner and the crew all eat the same food for dinner – the fish – and they're all really ill. Then an ex fighter pilot, who has a ridiculous drinking problem, has to save the ship. Everything goes wrong, but it's all really silly stuff."

"Sounds stupid and immature."

"That's why it's so fantastic," He looked down at Elizabeth, giving her a smile. "You'll love it Lizzie."

"She won't..." Miranda paused mid sentence as she banked the shuttle down towards their house. There was a huge mess of other vehicles parked in a haphazard array in front of the house. "What the hell?"

It was then that Shepard caught sight of someone moving around the shuttles, and after narrowing his eyes he realised it was Zaeed. The old mercenary tried to dodge out of their view and run to the house behind a shuttle, but he was far too slow to do that. Shepard then realised what was going on, and broke out into a fit of laughter.

"Looks like the welcoming committee are here."

Miranda turned to glare at him. "Does this mean our house is full of reckless and dangerous nut cases? Because I really don't want Elizabeth getting scared or freaked out."

"Miranda," Shepard laid a hand across her arm gently as she began to park the skycar, still holding Elizabeth with the other in his lap. "They are our friends, pretty much my family and yours too. All they'll want to do is to meet Lizzie, there's no harm, in that."

"They've basically broken into our home."

"Aw Miri, come off it," Shepard rolled his eyes. "For a start Garrus is registered on the DNA scanner, so is my mother."

"Yes, and I highly disagree with providing others a means of getting in our house," Miranda gave him a reproachful look. "Precisely for this reason."

"And Oriana? She can get in too."

"That's different," Miranda protested to him, grabbing a door handle. "She wouldn't do anything like this."

XXXXXXXX

"You did what?" Miranda glared at her sister who was standing across the study from her. Oriana simply stood there smiling.

"I invited all of your friends for a bit of a party to celebrate my niece, who I would dearly love to spend some time with today," Oriana folded her arms. "I was trying to do something nice."

"I...Well thank you Ori, but..." Miranda put her head in her hands. "Look I wasn't expecting this, I was hoping to have a bit of time to get sorted before all of this."

"So when was I going to meet Lizzie then?" Oriana challenged her. "Or Shepard's mother for that matter?"

"Well obviously you two would..."

"Then don't be ridiculous, people like Garrus and Liara are Shepard's best friends," Oriana sighed. "It's about as important for them as it is for me."

"Yeah," Miranda dropped her head, feeling a little ashamed. "I guess you're right."

"C'mon. Just have a bit of fun," Oriana nudged her playfully. "Be a bit normal, you know?"

"I suppose I'm just being a bit over protective," Miranda chuckled lightly. "Shepard is too, though he'll claim otherwise."

"Just wait until the boys are chasing her in her teens, then you'll have to restrain him," Oriana put a thoughtful finger to her chin. "Having said that he is a Councillor, he could probably make someone disappear."

Miranda laughed. "He mentioned something like that earlier."

"Now come and join the party," Oriana smiled before exiting the room, turning in the door. "Come on Randa!"

"I'll be there in a minute."

Miranda remained there for a couple of seconds before leaving. She had really wanted to wait until Lizzie was settled before having something like this, and she had planned on being a little particular over who exactly was going to visit. Did she really want people like Jack, Grunt, or Zaeed with her baby?

She stopped that line of thought, scolding herself mentally. These were Shepard's friends, and they were the closest she had to friends as well. They had a right to be here, and she was being rather selfish by thinking otherwise. With that thought she left the study heading towards the living room.

XXXXXXXX

"Battlemaster," Shepard turned as he heard Grunt call him. The young Krogan was striding through the hallway, Wrex following behind. Clearly they had been going for the food in the kitchen. "May I meet the new member of the Krantt?"

"Of course Grunt," Shepard raised an eyebrow. "You don't have to ask."

"Actually he does Shepard," Wrex leaned his back against the wall next to the fish tank, folding his arms as he explained. "A battlemaster introduces his young to the Krantt when he wants to, not the other way around."

"Oh right, so it's Krogan tradition?" Shepard smiled. "Well she's a human baby."

"Shepard," Grunt looked up nervously. "Can I hold her?"

"Erm..." Shepard looked around, checking Miranda wasn't anywhere near. She wouldn't stand for this at all. "Well I suppose so, but you have to be very very gentle Grunt. She's very delicate."

"Yes Shepard, I'll be careful."

Very slowly Grunt placed his hands underneath Elizabeth, massive fingers supporting her body. Shepard let go very carefully, letting her weight be taken by Grunt's mammoth digits. The Krogan raised her up, still moving slowly, and began to stare down at her with his lizard eyes. Shepard wasn't sure how Elizabeth would react to a fully grown and battle scarred Krogan staring her in the face at almost point blanc range. She showed that she was a Shepard through and through though, happily staring back with inquisitive eyes at the Krogan. She even gave one of her almost smiles at him.

"She's so..." Grunt looked up at Shepard. "So squishy. Well, all of you are squishy, but she's really squishy."

"She is a baby Grunt, I know that Krogan children are born with natural body armour," Shepard gave them a smile. "But just make sure you support the head."

"Oh, sorry," Grunt carefully moved a digit, propping up Elizabeth's head. "She is squishy, but she's strong. I can smell it."

"Hah!" Shepard chuckled. "Hear that Elizabeth, you smell."

"No, I didn't mean it like that," Grunt had missed the joke, a look of seriousness across his face. "I mean that I can feel the strength off her. It's not surprising, you are the strongest battlemaster around and Lawson is a strong female indeed."

"Thanks Grunt," Grunt took a pace forward, carefully placing the baby back into Shepard's arms. "She seems to like you."

"Meh," Grunt shrugged. "What's not to like?"

"You're all right whelp," Wrex spoke up, clapping Grunt on the shoulder. "But it's all about Uncle Urdnot."

Shepard laughed again as the two Krogan walked off towards the rest of the crowd in the living. Just at the same time Miranda appeared from the basement with his mother in tow, chatting animatedly about babies. He groaned internally, his mother could be most embarrassing when talking about him as a baby. As they passed a pair of hands scooped Elizabeth out of his arms, accompanied by a mischievous laugh from his mother.

"Sorry, I need to kidnap my granddaughter."

Shepard was still staring down at his now empty hands. "How did you do that so quickly?"

"Practice," His mother gave him a wink, nudging Miranda at the same time. "Now, lets go and show her off a bit more eh?"

With that Hannah hurried off, rather happily. Miranda followed, though she turned and gave him an exasperated smile. Shepard made to follow, but decided he needed another drink first. He headed into the now empty kitchen and grabbed another beer from the fridge, before turning to walk out again. He stopped though, realising that the kitchen wasn't actually empty after all.

"Hey Jack."

"Shepard." The reply was curt and clipped, but not really rude.

Shepard headed over to the dining area of the kitchen, taking a seat opposite the ex-convict at the table. "Not joining in the party?"

"It's not really my scene," Jack looked up at him with a wry grin. "I don't mean the party, I mean babies."

"Really?" Shepard grabbed a bottle opener from the worktop behind him, breaking open the bottle. "You didn't think you could work with other people, look at you now. And with the kids at Grissom, they really loved you."

"Yeah but they're big kids," Jack smiled fondly. "Though I kinda feel like they're mine anyway. But I don't see myself as a proper mother."

"Miranda didn't either."

"Yeah but it's different for her," Jack took Shepard's beer from him before he could take a swig, taking one herself. "She's a princess, she can bring one up."

Shepard chided in reply. "Jack..."

"I know, I know," Jack rolled her eyes. "Be friendly and all that crap."

"Actually I was going to tell you off for nicking my beer..."

Jack laughed. "All right, I'll grab you a new one," She stood up, going to the fridge for another bottle. "But honestly, I'm trying with Lawson. I won't promise we'll ever be best buddies, she still plays on my nerves, but we are both trying to get along."

"That's all I've ever asked of people," Jack came and sat back down, providing him with a new drink. "Thanks."

Jack was about to reply when there was a clatter in the entrance, Legion sprinting into the room followed by Stephen – Jacob's one year old son. The toddler was only just walking, but his half crawl half run was ridiculously quick. Jacob followed the pair, calling for the child to stop chasing the dog. He caught the kid, grabbing him and hoisting him effortlessly up into the air.

"Slow down Stephen, you're causing a stir," It was then that Jacob noticed the pair at the table, walking over with a smile. "Hey guys."

"Hey Jacob," Shepard gave the one year old, that was now seated on Jacob's shoulders. "Hi Stephen."

The child gave him a huge grin but said nothing.

"You guys coming in to join the party."

"Yes we are, aren't we Jack?" The convict gave him a slight glare. "Oh wait, I've just remembered something."

"What?"

"Spaceplane's on in..." Shepard looked at the clock on the wall. "About ten minutes."

"No way?" Jacob's face lit up. "I love that film, it's brilliant. Brynn hates it, but it's hilarious."

"Come on then!" Shepard stood up, raising his bottle high. "One last charge, to the vid-screen!"

XXXXXXXX

"Bloody men." Miranda shook her head as she walked into the kitchen. The men of the crew had taken over the living room to watch that ridiculous comedy, all being rather vocal in their support of the film. Now they were spread out over the sofas and floor, and crates of beer had been stacked by the fireplace. She had tried to wrestle Lizzie away from Shepard, but he had insisted on beginning her education in popular culture.

The women had retreated to the back room, chatting amongst themselves. Mainly about the state that the boys were already in. Miranda had gone off to find more wine, though she didn't expect to be followed.

"Miss Lawson," Miranda turned to face EDI, the synthetic walking just behind her. "I have a question, if you please."

"Sure," Miranda nodded, she had heard about EDI's incessant questioning ever since she had gained a body.

"Do you think Jeff and I could have a child?"

"Uhm..." Miranda raised her eyebrows, she hadn't expected that. "Don't you think that's a question for Shepard perhaps?"

"No, I want a mothers perspective," EDI paused. "And I've told Jeff to question Shepard."

"I haven't been a mother for very long though, you could ask Hannah."

"I know you far better, and I value your opinion."

"Right," Miranda had a think. "Well, obviously you can't naturally have a child. So I'm guessing you're thinking of adoption right?"

"That is a correct assumption."

"I'm really not very good at relationships, but I suppose if you two are happy then it's a good thing to do. I guess," Miranda furrowed her brows. "And there are lots of kids who need good homes, though you two are still serving on the Normandy."

"We have thought about that, and we are still considering our options," EDI smiled. "I was simply wondering if you believed I, as some would put it, 'had what it took'."

"I'm not an expert EDI, sorry. But still, I don't see why not – stranger things have happened."

EDI smiled again. "Thank you Miss Lawson."

Miranda stood there for a couple of seconds as EDI left, still trying to process the conversation that had just occurred as Shepard entered the room. There was a massive grin across his face, and to Miranda's experienced eye he looked a little drunk.

"All right Miri?"

"Erm...Kinda just had the strangest conversation with EDI."

"More questions?"

"Yup."

He chuckled. "Hah!"

"So," Miranda mused. "Has the film finished?"

"Nope, just on a break," Shepard reached up into one of the top cupboards, grabbing two bottles of rum. "Just grabbing some supplies."

"Who's got Lizzie?"

"Javik."

"What!" Miranda bolted from the room.

XXXXXXXX

Miranda slowly headed up the stairs to the master bedroom, her head slightly heavy with alcohol. She had been very sensible, not drinking too much wine, but having not drunk for nine months her tolerance wasn't exactly at it's usual height.

The house was much quieter, everyone having left by now. It was about three o'clock in the morning though, about time that people should be gone. Lizzie had obviously gone to bed far earlier than that, but people had been sneaking up to check on her all of the time – Shepard in particular had been consistently checking on her.

As she reached the top of the stairs Miranda pushed the bedroom door open carefully, a fond smile forming as she saw the sight within. Elizabeth was lying in her cot asleep, with one side of the cot's railings removed. Shepard was leant against the open side, also fast asleep. He was snoring quietly and a magazine was help loosely in one hand. As Miranda approached she noticed the magazine was the latest issue of 'Weapons monthly' – a production featuring the latest developments in weapons, armour, and tech. He had been reading it to Elizabeth, and it was open to a page with a new medical interface. She noted, with a hint of pride, that it featured technology that she had actually developed as an offshoot from Project Lazarus.

Miranda removed the magazine from his grasp and placed it on the bedside cabinet. She considered moving him but she didn't want to wake him up, so instead she grabbed the duvet off the bed and placed it underneath him, covering the floor with it. She also grabbed a rug before snuggling up next to him, pulling it over them. She gave him a kiss on the jaw as his arms moved in his sleep, coming to rest in their natural position around her shoulders as she began to drift off as well.

**A/N Let me know of any improvements that can be made, I'm always looking for ideas to improve.**


	15. Chapter 15

**14****th**** February 2188 – Crucible Pulse + 17 months**

Shepard was still combing his hair as he quickly headed downstairs to the basement. During his entire military career he had always kept it very short, keeping the standard marine look with an almost skinhead style. He had let it grow since the end of the war however, and he had found a style that suited him. About an inch and a half in length and with a little bit of gel to keep it up at the front, he felt it looked rather smart. And Miranda liked it too.

He passed the swimming pool and entered the gym, looking for Miranda. She was on the treadmill, as he guessed she would be. Miranda had been desperate to get back into shape after the birth and, even though she had her superior genes, she still required some time in the gym. Elizabeth was in her baby carrier/seat – Shepard didn't know what it was actually called – thing, smiling happily to herself.

He looked back to Miranda, she still hadn't heard him enter. He stood watching for a few seconds, he couldn't really help himself. She always wore the same attire in the gym, completely skin tight short shorts that cut off just below her buttocks and left nothing to his imagination. Her back was pretty bare too, she only wore a training bra on her torso and that revealed the perfect porcelain flesh of her lower back. He stared for a few more seconds as she ran, before realising that he was being stared at in turn. Elizabeth was watching at him with disapproving eyes.

"Hey Miri," Shepard gave her another look over, grinning to himself. "I'm off."

"Oh," Miranda put a hand to the controls, gradually slowing the treadmill. She was out of breath, though not exactly overexerting herself. "I didn't realise what time it was."

"Actually, I'm running a little late," Shepard squatted down next to Lizzie, giving her a wide smile. The glare dissipated and the baby gave him one of her almost smiles, she was indeed learning quickly. "Don't want to keep the Council waiting."

"Suppose not," Miranda came to stand next to him, resting a hand on his head and stroking his hair absent mindedly. "Are you sure you don't want us to come with you?"

"It's OK," Shepard gave Elizabeth a quick stroke on the cheek. "Elizabeth is brave, though I think space travel is a bit too much as of yet."

"The Citadel is in orbit still, not exactly far away is it?" Miranda sighed. "Though I suppose you're right. I'll miss you, you know?"

"It's only a day Miri, I'll be back this evening," Shepard gave Elizabeth a kiss on the forehead, provoking a squeal from the baby. "See you later Lizzie."

Shepard stood back up, pulling Miranda into his arms with a smile.

"I know it's only a day," Miranda gave him a grin. "What can I say? I'm attached to you quite a bit now."

"Almost as attached as I am to those gym shorts." He quipped.

She gave him a playful slap. "Oi."

"I love watching you run," Shepard smirked. "Especially from behind."

She gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Suppose that's a complement."

"Of the highest order," Shepard gave her a kiss in return. "Love you."

"Love you too," Miranda gave him a pat on the cheek. "Now get a move on."

"Aye aye," Shepard gave her a playful slap on the backside, accompanied by a wink. "See ya."

He jogged out of the room quickly – grinning at the muttering from Miranda – and left the basement, grabbing his small bag on the way out of the house.

XXXXXXXX

"Sorry I'm late," Shepard said the apology as he walked into the private Council chambers, interrupting the other Councillors who seemed to have started without him. "Long story."

"Councillor Shepard," Tevos greeted him with a smile as he sat down next to Wrex. "Congratulations for your child."

"Thanks," Shepard pulled a data-pad and some files out of his bag, placing them on the table in front of him. "So, what have I missed the past two months?"

"Not too much of great importance," Councillor Sparatus answered. "Until we received an unusual report yesterday evening."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"A mixed fleet of Alliance and Turian cruisers are currently stationed in the Exodus cluster of the Utopian system." Sparatus began to explain to Shepard, leaning forwards and folding his arms.

"That's the system Eden Prime is in, right?"

"Yes," Sparatus nodded. "Two days ago a small fighter patrol from that fleet caught a blip on their sensors over the planet Nirvana. A combat team of twenty men were sent down, with air support, just to investigate."

Shepard could tell where this was going. "I'm guessing they went missing?"

"Sadly, yes," Sparatus nodded grimly. "So an alert was sent out back to the Citadel, and we sent an N7 special operations team to get us answers."

"And?"

"The results were...interesting," Tevos pulled up a selection of pictures and placed them on the main projection screen on the wall ahead of the Council's table. "The second team found a secret facility, containing the bodies of the first team, but that was otherwise empty. The logos around the base indicate it is a Cerberus base, but it isn't on the lists of facilities that was recovered on Chronos Station."

"As Councillor Tevos says, the facility was pretty much empty," Sparatus continued on from Tevos. "Some odd bits of scientific and military hardware were left behind. There were also some servers there, and the technicians in the team are taking a look at them."

"I see," Shepard frowned as he perused over the photos, it didn't look like an extraordinary Cerberus base. Instead it looked like many others that he had seen before. "What do we have on this planet? I dimly remember orbiting it once or twice, but not much else."

"It is an ice world, containing nothing of particular note," Tevos made a disappointed face. "Though the Alliance did create an automated facility in secret to produce deuterium fuel for their fleets without anyone else knowing. Still, that doesn't matter."

"So, it's a world of no note with a Cerberus base that – according to their old HQ – isn't there. And this is the first post war base of theirs that we have found deserted, the rest have have a garrison force there, but the ones who were here ran," Shepard summarised slowly. "Well, we need to find out who they are, and what they're up to."

"Yes," Valern shared a rather significant look with the other Councillors before speaking, giving Shepard a sneaking suspicion that the issue had already been discussed. "We had hoped for some help on this from Miss Lawson."

"Miran...Hang on a second," Shepard gave the Salarian a glare. "She's been officially acquitted of any ties with Cerberus."

"We're not saying that Shepard," Admiral Raan spoke up for the first time. "Miss Lawson has a detailed knowledge of Cerberus and how they operate. If she took a look inside the base, then maybe she could find something our teams may miss. It is the first base we have found without any extensive evidence to follow up on, after all."

Shepard sat back in his chair slowly. He couldn't quite believe what they were asking of her, of a mother with a two month old baby.

"Are you being serious?" Shepard scoffed. "No way, I'm not having Miranda going into anything dangerous, not when Lizzie needs her. No, it's out of the question."

"Councillor, think rationally," Valern spoke calmly. "It is important to find out what is happening, Cerberus cannot be allowed to become a threat once more."

"What about SPECTRE Williams and the Normandy? She's been heading up the operations against Cerberus for the past six months."

"She's been in pursuit of a small Cerberus fleet across the Terminus systems." Sparatus answered.

"Well send another SPECTRE then, or find some other ex-Cerberus operatives," Shepard shook his head. "Miranda is not being involved."

"Then you come up with an alternative!" Shepard could see that Valern was beginning to get irritated, and the other Councillors were noting that too. Tevos was looking rather surprised at her Salarian colleague. "Cerberus are a threat to everyone and anyone, they need to be dealt with and your partner is an absolute expert in their operations."

"Well...well..." Shepard stopped, looking for an alternative. Before he realised it he heard himself speaking once more. "I'll go. I don't know as much as Miranda, but I have shut plenty of their bases down in the past. I can have a look around, I'm sure I can find something."

"If you are sure you won't let Miss Lawson do this," Shepard shook his head at Tevos. "Then I suppose it is a compromise. Thank you for your offer Councillor."

"Well, I think you have successfully backed me into a corner once again. Despite the fact I'm a bloody Councillor and equal to you all," Shepard shook his head, sighing and taking a deep breath to prevent himself from getting too annoyed. "When do I need to go? I'm assuming it needs to be soon."

Valern answered. "We were hoping that Miss Lawson could have gone today."

"Today?" Shepard took another deep breath, taking a look at the small Galactic map on one of the tablets in front of him. Nirvana was only about half an hour in FTL travel from the Sol system, after all it was the closest star system to Earth. "Well I suppose it...Fine. I'll go today."

"Thank you Councillor, I know this isn't an ideal situation for you to be in," Raan spoke kindly. "But it is necessary to get to the bottom of this."

"If that is all, then we are finished," Valern stood up, prompting the others to follow. "Councillor Shepard, if you go to the SPECTRE offices then you will be escorted to your transport."

The Councillors broke apart, Valern hurrying off on his own. Shepard watched him suspiciously, there was something not quite right with him today. Tevos, Sparatus, and Raan left together afterwards, with the Geth Councillor standing up just after them. The Geth Councillor had not said a word since Shepard had arrived, but it did give him a slight nod of the head before it turned to leave on it's own through another door. Shepard took this for a nod of respect, clearly the Geth were getting the hang of emotions.

Shepard was accompanied out of the door with Wrex, and he felt another hand on his shoulder as Balak came up behind them.

"Shepard," The Batarian acknowledged him with a respectful greeting. "You have more balls than all of them put together, I would have turned around and told Valern to go and do this himself."

"I know Balak," Shepard turned as they exited the door, checking he was out of earshot of the other Councillors. "There's something up with him."

"He's been an absolute shit for the past couple of weeks."

Wrex chuckled. "He's a Salarian, he's been an absolute shit for his entire life."

"Wrex, stop it," Shepard shook his head. "Look, this job can be a bit stressy, and I know that Salarian politics are going through a bit of a rough patch at the moment. I don't like this, but I need Miranda to stay safe."

"I can understand that," Balak considered him for a moment longer. "For a human, you aren't too bad. Of course, you have too many eyes."

"Very funny."

"I'll be going."

Shepard stood next to Wrex as they watched Balak leave, heading for a skycar. The two were now alone in the public gardens of the Council chambers, right where Saren had been defeated. Shepard shook his head.

"Something wrong Shepard?"

"Yeah, very wrong Wrex." Shepard began to walk, Wrex following him.

"Care to share?"

"This isn't a good idea Wrex, this base."

"You think it's a trap?" Shepard nodded his assent as they descended a flight of steps. Wrex chuckled again before speaking. "Don't worry about it, Grunt is leading the N7 team there along with a bunch of Krogan commandos that survived your little Rachni mission during the war. They're backed up by Quarian and Geth engineers and Turian snipers with human close fire support. Things are pretty safe."

"That's not the point, and it's not what I mean," Shepard walked over to a skycar at the rapid transit point, gesturing for Wrex to follow him inside. "I mean about going back into action, it puts both myself and Miranda in a difficult position."

Wrex pulled the doors closed, giving Shepard a raised eyebrow. "It's not as if you're going back into full service, and your mate can handle herself you know. From what I saw, when you brought Grunt to Tuchunka for the first time, she's tough."

"I don't want her to be in any danger, not at the moment. What would happen to Elizabeth if anything happened?"

"A Krogan baby would be brought up by the Krantt, or it might get killed."

"I know I should give her a choice, but she would go," Shepard cursed. "And I promised her I wouldn't put myself in any more danger, she would hate it if she found out. And to stop that I have to lie to her, and that is gonna kill me."

"You humans have far too complicated relationships, she should be proud that you go to these lengths for others. That you're such a powerful warrior."

"Doesn't work like that Wrex, and this has nothing to do with my skills as a soldier."

"Like I said," Wrex grinned. "Humans have it too complicated."

The rest of the journey was completed in silence as Shepard flew the sky car around the Presidium ring. He descended the vehicle, rather skilfully despite everyone who claimed he couldn't fly, and landed it near the SPECTRE offices. He exited with Wrex and walked up the short flight of stairs to the back entrance of the officers. Wrex stopped by the door.

"I have to go Shepard, you know the kind of workload I've got," Wrex grinned. "But it's good to have you back."

"Back?" Shepard shook his head. "This is a one time only thing Wrex, I'm not going into service."

"I didn't mean that, I meant to have you back off your leave," Wrex extended a hand which Shepard shook. "Be safe Shepard, and once you're done get back to that baby sharpish."

Shepard nodded as Wrex walked off, turning to face the entrance of the SPECTRE offices with a rather nervous look.

XXXXXXXX

"Are you satisfied with the armour?"

Shepard nodded to his companion in the pilots seat, adjusting his left gauntlet as he did so. He had been assigned a SPECTRE to accompany him for his work, and the Salarian Jondam Bau had been selected. Shepard was pretty happy with the choice, Bau was a great investigator and had a very high success record. And if he almost managed to track down Kasumi Goto, then he could probably help track down a Cerberus cell.

"It's fine Bau, though I'm surprised that my measurements were kept in stock."

"Well, there's a bit of an admission to be had on our part Councillor," Bau gave a smile. "It's actually the armour removed from your body when you were being treated after the battle on Earth. It has been fully repaired and remodelled, and it was meant to be presented as a gift some time soon."

"Oh," Shepard looked down at the armour, grimacing slightly as he remembered the time when he had last worn it. "That kinda puts me off it now."

"Why, it's a suit of victory no?"

"Yeah, but I almost died in it. All kinds of weird stuff happened in it," Shepard pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's just not me any more. It wouldn't be so bad if it was just any old suit of armour, but this just feels weird."

"I suppose I can understand."

By this time they had entered Nirvana's upper atmosphere, and the shuttle was beginning to descend rapidly. They broke through the clouds and Shepard had a good look at the world below. It was as it had been described earlier, a barren ice world of no note. Of course normal people would find an uncharted world like this exciting, but Shepard was used to uncharted worlds. He had been to dozens of Nirvana's type.

The landscape seemed to consist of a mixture of mountainous and icy terrain, broken up with occasional pockets of flat, snowy land. It was to one of these expanses of ground that the shuttle headed towards, touching down on the large snow drifts. Shepard took a look out of the window to his left, noting a well camouflaged concrete structure next to the shuttle. The visible part of the structure was another common sight to Shepard, circular, about a metre and a half in height, and topped with radio antenna's.

Shepard exited the shuttle with Bau just behind, double checking his equipment. He wasn't as armed as usual, only carrying a Mattock rifle, Carnifex hand cannon, and an Escrivator shotgun. He grinned, it was still an impressive arsenal for any normal person. Though Shepard was hoping there wouldn't be any fighting.

The door on the side of the bunker was flanked by a pair of Krogan commandos gripping shotguns, and he noticed several marines of varying species armed with sniper rifles atop the structure. It was clear that no one was taking any chances with Cerberus, and that relieved Shepard. Despite being severely weakened during the war, they were still a threat.

As they approached the door of the bunker opened, a fully armed Grunt exiting. The young Krogan grinned at Shepard as he approached.

"Shepard," Grunt extended a hand that Shepard shook. "Good to see you again."

"You too Grunt, though it's not been long."

"No," Grunt turned to Bau. "Who's the Salarian?"

"Jondam Bau, a SPECTRE," Shepard gave him a significant look. "He's a good one Grunt."

"Right," Grunt nodded in Bau's direction, about as respectful as Shepard could hope for from the Krogan. "Let's go on in."

They walked on into the base, passing through the entrance and straight into a lift. Grunt pushed a button, starting up the lift and beginning their descent. They stood in silence for a while, before Shepard broke it.

"So Grunt," The Krogan looked over to him. "Got anything interesting to share about your race or culture?"

"Erm..." Grunt scratched the back of his head. "What are you going on about Shepard?"

"Oh, of course!" Shepard had a realisation. "We never had any elevator chats, did we?"

"Oh no, the Turian mentioned about those once," Grunt pointed at himself. "We used to have sky car conversations."

"Yeah, that's right," Shepard grinned. "We only talked about tourist attractions in the sky cars right?"

"Yeah," The elevator stopped with the doors ahead opening, revealing the base beyond with a group of operatives within. "But there's nothing to see here."

They walked out of the elevator, Shepard taking a look around the place. They were in an entrance hall that was pretty empty. There was a couple of tables pushed up against the far wall, but nothing else of note was visible to him. The walls did bare Cerberus insignias, however.

"Show me around Grunt."

"Right," Grunt gestured for them to follow as he proceeded through a door on the left. They walked through a small tunnel before passing through another door, emerging into a much larger rectangular space. "This is the biggest room."

"Yeah, I thought it would be this kind of set up," Shepard glanced around. "It's pretty much identical to loads of facilities I saw when chasing Saren."

Bau spoke up. "I have been in similar places as well Councillor."

The room was again pretty empty like the entrance hall. A couple of bare bunks were over in one corner of the room, and more tables were next to them. Shepard noticed some racks on the wall above the bunks, and he walked over to them to have a look.

"Weapons racks?" Shepard peered closely, they were all empty but he guessed that his assault rifle would fit perfectly. "I assume they were empty?"

"Aye."

Shepard walked on from the racks, stopping in the middle of the room. Twenty body bags were lined in the middle of the compound in neat rows, all sealed and ready for transport.

"Grunt, what kind of injuries did the bodies have?"

"Majority were gunshot wounds, one or two with close combat related injuries," Grunt narrowed his eyes. "I reckon it was a brutal fight, but over pretty quickly. It's likely the team were ambushed, and from the way the bodies were distributed they were outnumbered and fighting a desperate rearguard action."

"No dead hostiles?"

"None."

The rest of the room was literally empty, so he decided to move on. They passed through another tunnel, arriving at a T junction as he expected. He took a left through a door, emerging into a far smaller room lined with servers. A trio of technicians were working around a lap top in the middle of the room.

Grunt spoke up. "These are our techs, they've been having a look at the mainframes."

"Great," Shepard approached them. "What have you got?"

"We're not quite sure Councillor," A Quarian stood up to answer him. "We don't actually know at the moment."

"I assume it's encrypted?"

"That's correct," A human spoke up, turning his head from the lap top. "Pretty heavily too, as per usual Cerberus standards."

"You can crack it right?"

"Not here, but it can be given to intel for decryption," The human explained. "They can use their special programs and hardware, it'll be a far quicker process. We're just checking the intel for any virus' or hacking programs before we send it, just to be safe."

"Good plan," Shepard peered down at the text scrolling across the lap top screen. "Do you have any idea about what's here?"

"That's a negative sir," The Quarian replied. "Though it's strange."

"What is?"

"This is a pretty standard mainframe, capable of holding a lot of data, but hardly any of it is occupied. I mean there's a lot of actual data here, but it's only a tiny percentage of the hard drives potential storage space."

"Yes but that could be for a number of reasons," Bau turned from inspecting the servers to face them as he hypothesised. "They may have started a data wipe that hasn't entirely finished, or perhaps this is a new base that hadn't yet been set up. Or maybe it's just the nature of what this facility is being used for, it is rather small after all."

"Exactly, but to me it adds to the overall feeling that this isn't actually a currently operational base," The Quarian folded his arms. "The other Cerberus bases that I've been to have been stocked full of all sorts, lab equipment, weapons, fully loaded mainframes."

"That's a point," Shepard turned to Grunt. "I was told there was some lab equipment here."

Grunt jerked a thumb back at the door. "Yeah, it's back this way."

Shepard nodded at the technicians to carry on as he followed Grunt out of the room, back to the other door of the T junction. Entering that room Shepard saw a much more familiar set up. The walls were lined with tables and cupboards, high lab chairs set up behind the workbenches. There were various pieces of equipment along the desks, a few microscopes, a couple of scanners, and some larger machines that he didn't know the function of.

"The cupboards are all empty, like the rest of this place," Grunt folded his arms. "It's weird."

"Maybe, but someone was down here. Someone took out that first team and left before you got here," Shepard furrowed his brows. "If we're going to find traces of the cell that did this, or what they were doing, this is the most likely place to find any traces of them."

"I agree," Bau opened up his omni-tool. "I will begin scanning for any traces of DNA or for any chemicals from experiments. Maybe we can discover the purpose of this base?"

"Lets get to it."

XXXXXXXX

Shepard sat in the sky car for a few seconds after it touched down outside the house. He was wearing normal clothes once more, having deposited the armour and weapons at the SPECTRE offices. He was considering exactly what to do in the next few minutes, should he come clean to Miranda? Or was it better to stay quiet? And anyway, it wasn't likely that he would have to go out on a mission again, their investigation had turned up nothing. He had spent hours with Bau and the technicians going over the entire base for any shred of evidence, and they hadn't even found one piece of DNA – there weren't even any blood stains from the fight that had occured. It had been a significant waste of his time, it hadn't required any sort of expert. Maybe Miranda could have found something else, and she wouldn't have been in any danger, but now any chance of pursuing Cerberus rested with the encrypted data and no one knew what it contained.

He sighed before grabbing his bag, opening the door of the sky car. It was pouring down with rain so he ran to the house door, trying not to get too wet. Shepard slipped inside the entrance, being greeted by an enthusiastic Legion. He gave the Saint Bernard a scratch behind the ears with a little smile before passing it, looking into the living room.

"Hey," Miranda was watching him from the sofa with a smile. "You're back later than I thought."

"Yeah, sorry about that." Shepard looked up, noticing the vid program that was on with a smile. It was a cartoon of sorts for children, featuring a human singing along with a whole group of vegetable puppets. He raised an eyebrow at the show with a grin to Miranda.

"It's really appalling isn't it?" Miranda stood up with Lizzie in her arms to walk around the sofa. They shared a kiss that was interrupted by Elizabeth as she began to make a whining noise. "Oh really? Just watch this John, she's been doing it all day."

Miranda moved back around, allowing Elizabeth to see the vid-screen. She stopped crying immediately, happily watching the program.

"That's ridiculous!" Shepard chuckled, giving Lizzie a stroke on the head followed by a kiss. "Definitely a prima donna."

"Tell me about it," Miranda placed Elizabeth down onto the sofa and rested her up against some cushions, the baby was content to sit still and remained fixed on the vid program. Miranda walked towards Shepard again, this time wrapping her arms around his neck and giving him a passionate kiss. She pulled back after a good few seconds with a smile. "I've been waiting for that all day."

"Me too." Shepard placed one arm around her waist and tucking back a loose strand of hair with his other hand. He smiled at her as the two maintained eye contact. After a few seconds Miranda frowned.

"Are you all right John?" She placed a hand on his cheek, rubbing lightly. She could always tell when something was up, and at this moment he cursed that insight of hers.

He paused before answering, keeping his face with a small smile. Inside he was arguing with himself however, still trying to make his mind up. He could tell her right now, he should tell her. But the words wouldn't form in his throat. He looked over at Lizzie, she was the reason why he had to do this though. If he told Miranda, if she decided to get involved, if something happened to her, he could never forgive himself.

"I'm fine, just a bit tired is all," He gave her another kiss and pulled her closer. "I'm gonna go take a shower, OK?"

"Sure," Miranda gave him a kiss in reply. "Dinner in twenty though."

"Then I should go."

He gave her a final kiss before heading out of the room, followed by a pair of concerned eyes.

**A/N So I'm trying something a bit different with the next few chapters, just to get a bit more variety into the story. As ever, thanks for reading and let me know your thoughts.**


	16. Chapter 16

**2****nd**** May 2188 – Crucible Pulse + 19 months**

**Update 21/09/2013**

Shepard awoke with a jolt at the sudden noise in the bedroom. He searched around for the source until he realised it was coming from his omni-tool on the bed.

"Who the bloody hell is calling you at three in the morning?" Miranda spoke up from next to him, and she sighed as Elizabeth began to cry in the cot next to the bed. "Great, now Lizzie's up."

By now Shepard had his omni-tool in hand and he realised who the caller was.

"Sorry Miri, I have to take this."

"Well do it downstairs, I'll get her back off to sleep."

He nodded, taking the omni-tool and sliding it onto his arm as he got up from the bed. He crossed the room and closed the door, making sure he was already halfway down from the top floor and out of earshot before accepting the call.

"Valern, what do you want?"

"Shepard, my apologies for disturbing so late at night but I have important news."

He raised an eyebrow as he reached the first floor, rounding the spiral staircase once more to go down to the ground floor. "What is it?"

"The encrypted data that you recovered at the Cerberus base a couple of months ago, we've cracked it." Valern stated.

"Really?" Shepard cocked his head. "That took a while."

"Yes, the encryption was very strong."

Shepard reached the bottom of the stairs, heading over to the study. He shut the door behind him and settled in his office chair behind the desk. "Well, what's on there?"

"A lot of the data was irrelevant or all ready known to us," Shepard sighed as Valern continued. "But we have found the location of another new Cerberus base, the same N7 team has already been dispatched to secure it."

"And I have to go?"

"Well, you are investigating this situation rather than Miss Lawson."

"Do the rest of the Council know?"

"They have been informed as well."

"Right," Shepard sighed again. "Where is the base?"

"Grosalgen, in the Acheron system of the Styx Theta cluster," Shepard pulled up a data file on the planet on the terminal on his desk as Valern continued to speak. "It's an enigmatic ice and rock world, thin CO2 and ethane atmosphere with a very low temperature."

"Yeah, I can see," He examined a few of the pictures of the planet before turning back to his omni-tool. "They like ice planets, don't they?"

"It's an unremarkable world, deserted and unimportant. It's easier for them to evade detection."

"Did the team get the jump on them this time?"

"Unfortunately not, though at least we did not lose any men this time around."

"Good, is it the same set up as last time? Meet Bau at the SPECTRE offices?" Valern nodded. "Right, I'll leave soon."

"Good Councillor," Valern paused before turning off. "Thank you for this."

The feed on the omni-tool switched off, leaving Shepard alone in the study staring at the pictures on his terminal. He sighed again, dropping his head and shaking it. Secretly he had been hoping that the data wouldn't yield anything of note. He knew that was selfish, a rogue Cerberus cell could be very dangerous, but he had hoped he could forget about the whole day. And that he would never need to lie to Miranda again.

Slowly he got up, trudging out of the study and up the stairs to the bedroom. Miranda had settled Elizabeth in her cot and was sat up in bed with a puzzled expression.

"What's up?"

"I'm sorry Miri, I've got to go to the Citadel," He walked over to the bed, sitting down next to her. "Council business."

"Really?" Miranda moaned. "Are you sure you have to go?"

He nodded. "Yeah, sorry."

"Anything important?"

"It's about relations with the Terminus Systems," Shepard felt guilty as he delivered the lie, and he made sure to be watching Elizabeth as he spoke rather than Miranda. "It's becoming a bit dodgy apparently."

"And I thought we were going to have a nice day together," Miranda leaned forwards, wrapping her arms around his torso from behind. "Have some us time, you know?"

"I know, I'm sorry."

"Hey, I'm proud of you though. What with all you are doing for the Council," Miranda pressed a kiss to his cheek from behind. "You're doing really well, I know you didn't really want to be on it in the first place."

"Yeah," Shepard placed his hand over Miranda's on his chest, lightly stroking it. "I suppose I better get going."

"I suppose you should," Miranda dropped her tone to a rather suggestive one. "Want company in that shower?"

"Hmm?" Shepard turned his head to give her grin. "That'd be nice."

Miranda grinned, jumping off the bed and pulling him with her. She led him into the shower with a devilish grin, though not before flicking on the baby monitor with a lazy gesture on the way out.

XXXXXXXX

Shepard caught up on some of his missed sleep on the long shuttle ride out to the Styx Theta Cluster, but it wasn't long until Bau was waking him up. They stepped out into the bitterly cold temperatures, fully suited up and armed, scanning the area around them for the entrance.

The base was built into the side of a mountain, steel steps leading up to the circular entrance doors. A trio of other shuttles were next to them, and once again a pair of Krogan flanked the entrance . They climbed the steps and passed through the doors, Shepard giving a nod to one of the guards as they passed. Beyond the doors was a pipe-like tunnel, about ten metres in length with another door at the end. They passed through the second door and were greeted by Grunt.

"Battlemaster."

Shepard removed his helmet, giving a smile in return. "Grunt, fancy bumping into you again."

The Krogan chuckled. "It's becoming a habit right?"

"So, let's take a look around."

"Right," Grunt led them through another door into a large chamber. The same group of technicians were over at a large server bank on the far side running various tests. "Well there's this large room here, and through that door is an armoury and what looks like a gym or training area."

"Great, thanks Grunt."

Shepard walked over to the server banks, receiving a mixed series of salutes and greetings. Bau approached the Quarian amongst them, opening up his omni-tool.

"Good to see you again Kael," Shepard watched the two shake hands. "Do you have anything?"

"Similar to last time, heavily encrypted data," The Quarian pressed a few buttons on his tablet computer that was connected to the server, showing them a chart. "The difference is that this mainframe has an awful lot more data, about a hundred times more than the last base."

"Good," Shepard nodded. "Means we may have more to trace this lot with."

"Yeah, that's what we reckoned," The Quarian pointed over to the armoury Grunt had mentioned. "If you're looking for physical traces I'd recommend starting in there, there's a lot more in this base than the last."

"Right, thanks," Shepard turned to Bau. "Let's go."

They headed off into the armoury, taking a good look around. It looked a lot more promising to Shepard, for a start there were actually weapons lined up in the storage racks. Bau noted these as well.

"Hmm, weapons?" Bau smiled. "That's good, they can be dusted for prints and possibly traced. I have lists of all weapons bought and manufactured by Cerberus in the last few years, I'll have a look at their serial numbers."

"Good plan, we may have something there."

Bau nodded and headed over to the racks, carefully removing a Harrier off the lowest rack with gloved hands and carefully inspecting it. After a few seconds he found the ID mark, he opened his omni-tool and began to run a search in his data for a match. Shepard left him to it and headed over to the gym like area in the other side of the room.

The floor was padded out with a blue lino type material, similar to the hand to hand training areas used in Alliance facilities. A variety of training machines, including a punch bag, treadmill, and a series of weights, were lined up against one wall. Shepard went over to take a closer look at them, but his eyes were drawn to a discoloured patch on the mat. He knelt down to it, running a diagnostic program on his omni-tool. He grinned as he got his results in.

"Bau, I've got blood here," Shepard pressed a few buttons, setting a search for any matching DNA in Cerberus' personnel database recovered from Chronos station. A few seconds passed, and then there was a ping. Shepard read off the record to the Salarian. "And there's a match, Adrian Newings. He was a commando but then underwent the Centurion program during the war. He served in Petrovsky's forces that attacked Omega, but he escaped the station with a couple of squads – I didn't know any of them got out alive. He's labelled as 'redeployed' to reserve forces."

"That was rather forgiving of The Illusive Man," Bau narrowed his eyes at the data in front of him. "I've got his prints on a pistol over here as well, though that first rifle belonged to an assault trooper, Jesse Landing. He was part of another cell, serving out in the Terminus Systems but on the other side to Omega."

"Strange," Shepard looked up the records of Bau's assault trooper, comparing it with the centurion's record. "They have never served together, despite both being in Cerberus for several years. They were in completely different sectors of service for their entire careers."

"Yet they have both been here together," Bau rubbed his chin. "And I think we will find traces of other personnel in the same circumstances, I think this is a rather ramshackle force we are after."

"Maybe Cerberus have a new command after all?" Shepard stood back up again, glancing around the room. "Perhaps they're consolidating what forces they have left, might just be these are their only available, loyal, and surviving troops?"

"Possible, but no one has come across any structure to Cerberus' post war operations as of yet. So far all of the cells that have been uncovered seem to have been out for themselves, in hiding for their own protection rather than any overall plan."

"Then they have a lack of oversight, they aren't being directed," Shepard furrowed his brows as his brain thought in circles. Of course, this is where Miranda would have found the answer if she had been involved. "So perhaps they are all out for themselves like the other cells, except this is just a group of personnel that happened to band together for safety?"

"That is possible," Bau nodded. "But we will know more if we can find traces of other Cerberus staff here."

"Right."

XXXXXXXX

Miranda peered over the top of her book onto the floor of the living room, checking Elizabeth for the umpteenth time. The baby seemed pretty happy, lying on the floor on her baby mat underneath a mobile given to them by Oriana. It featured a number of colourful planets, and Elizabeth enjoyed watching them spin around. And to whack them every now and then.

She returned to her book. It was a draft copy of Liara's book, 'Journeys with a Prothean', and had been given to Miranda for analysis and review. She had been pretty sure it wouldn't need more than a couple of small modifications as Liara was a very thorough worker, and Miranda had been happy to say yes. She had been more than intrigued to learn from Javik, he hadn't been exactly forthcoming to many people beyond Liara and Shepard when she had spoken to him.

Miranda was about to make a note when she heard a buzzing from the study next door, signalling an incoming communication. She grabbed the remote for the vid-screen and accepted the call through it, placing the book down next to her on the sofa. A few seconds of static was followed by the image of Hannah Shepard appearing on the screen, a view of part of the Oriziba's bridge visible behind her.

The woman smiled kindly. "Miranda."

"Hi Hannah," Miranda greeted her with a smile of her own. "How's things?"

"Actually they're very good, I have some news for you."

"Oh? Do tell."

"Well, you remember I said that I wanted to be a bigger part of your lives, of Lizzie's?" Miranda nodded. "I've left the Alliance, I finish and retire officially today."

"Today? That's really soon," Miranda raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want to do this so quickly?"

"Yes, quite frankly I've had enough of this," Hannah corrected herself quickly. "Not of commanding a ship, I love having a ship, I mean of the Alliance and it's politics. I can't stand being on the Admiralty board, they want me to be on their side all of the time, to try and influence John on the Council, and I just can't do that."

"Can't you just resign the Admiralty post?"

"Yes but I've had enough of this entirely. I want something more for my life now," Hannah frowned. "And I don't know how much respect I would receive for stepping down."

"It's disgusting Hannah, a lifetime of dedicated service and you don't feel that you could stick to doing what you enjoy and excel at because of a lack of support from your comrades," Miranda snorted. "Not to mention the fact that you're responsible for their 'galactic saviour', have any of them thought about that fact?"

"To be fair Steven has tried to sort all this out, to some degree of success. He's secured me a rather lucrative retirement package, and has seen that I receive all of the fancy crap when I leave," Hannah cocked her head. "Though I'm not sure how bad it would be if I stayed on, maybe I'm making something out of nothing."

"Maybe, I just think it's wrong that you feel actually feel that way – regardless of whatever would happen."

"I see what you mean."

"Still, it is great that you're going to be seeing more of us," Miranda bent down to retrieve Elizabeth off the floor, picking her up and holding her in a way to have full view of the vid-screen. "Say hello to granny Lizzie."

The baby squealed happily, prompting both women to laugh.

"Hello Lizzie," Hannah's face broke out into a huge grin at the sight of her granddaughter. "God Miranda, she looks so like you it's unbelievable."

"I know, John's freaking out a bit."

Hannah narrowed her eyes. "Where is my son by the way? I couldn't get hold of him."

"Citadel, Council stuff apparently. We got a call at about three this morning."

"What?" Hannah looked shocked. "Why are they working him this hard? It's obscene."

"I think it'll calm down soon enough, especially once things are hitting a proper degree of normalcy after the war," Miranda looked down at Lizzie who had preceded to grab hold of one of her thumbs with both hands. "The economy is getting there, as is the repairs of essential buildings and services in the cities on most of the Council worlds. Of course ther... Lizzie! Let go!"

Hannah laughed as Miranda struggled to free her thumb from her daughters surprisingly tight grasp. Eventually she succeeded, prompting another squeal from the baby. She looked back at the vid-screen with a resigned expression.

"Anyway, where are you heading now?"

"Actually I am on my way back to Sol on the Oriziba, my final journey as captain," Hannah smiled, though Miranda could actually pick up a trace of nervousness there. "I have the paperwork to do at HQ on the Citadel and then I'm free."

"Hmm, do you want to stay at ours tonight then? John can bring you back to Earth when he's done," Miranda had a better idea. "Actually no, we'll go up to the Citadel and meet you. We can all wait for him to finish together."

"That sounds like a good idea, how about if I head over to your apartment on Silversun when I'm done?"

"That's a plan."

"Well, I'll see you later then," Hannah smiled. "Love you both!"

Miranda stuttered before replying, she just couldn't get used to hearing that from anyone other than John and Oriana. "Uh, yeah. See you later."

Hannah gave her a reproachful look. "Something wrong?"

"No, it's just..." Miranda sighed. "Yeah, we love you too."

"That's better," Hannah gave her another kind smile. "You'll get the hang of this family malarkey, I promise."

Miranda smiled back as the feed terminated, sitting back down on the sofa. She was glad of how genuinely nice a person Hannah was, and the fact that she had accepted Miranda as John's partner. Not that it would have stopped them from being together, but it felt nice to be appreciated.

She looked back down at Elizabeth, giving her a wide smile.

"So, shall we give daddy a nice surprise at work?"

The baby replied with one of her wide smiles, copying the exact expression that Miranda gave her. As a little test Miranda changed her expression, furrowing her brows in concentration. Elizabeth copied her once again, causing Miranda to chuckle.

"Well you are picking this stuff up quickly, but can you do this?"

Miranda raised an eyebrow, giving Elizabeth her cockiest expression. To her surprise Elizabeth did the same, raising her right eyebrow with a lopsided grin. Miranda raised the other eyebrow in surprise, even that was copied.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting that," Miranda tapped Elizabeth on the nose. "But, that is my look all right? I am the master of the eyebrow, I coined it!"

Elizabeth squealed in return, flailing her arms.

"Well I suppose you could give daddy that look as well, maybe we could synchronise? That'd freak him out," Miranda smirked. "Now, lets get you ready for a trip to space."

XXXXXXXX

"So, we've got a whole bunch of guys who have, according to Chronos Station's records, never worked in a cell together," Shepard scratched his head, looking at Bau in the pilots seat next to him. "Why are they all together? Was it an order, or is it by chance? And should my head hurt this badly from all this theorising?"

"I am not sure about all of those things – including your head. We are definitely missing something major, and I am concerned that Cerberus could be re-organising itself," Bau sighed and shook his head. "We have a considerable amount of evidence compared to previous experiences with Cerberus over the years, yet we are no closer to succeeding in capturing this bunch."

"I know, it's...sorry, hang on a sec," Shepard brought his arm up, his buzzing omni-tool displaying Miranda's caller ID. Shepard selected the answer button, but only as an audio call rather than vid-call. "Hey Miri."

"Hey," There was a pause. "How come you answered audio only?"

"Oh," Shepard paused himself, as he racked his brains for an excuse. "I was just copying some data over from my omni-tool into my terminal manually, should be reasonably quick. I should be home in under an hour."

"You're working in your office?"

"Yeah."

"Well where?" It was then that Shepard noticed the change in Miranda's tone, one with a hint of suspicion. "Because I'm sitting in your office chair, and I can't see you anywhere."

Shepard's mouth dropped and his brain went into overdrive. For the first time in a while, he began to panic. "Miri, I can explain."

"Oh yeah? Then where are you?"

"I'm on my way back, just twenty minutes from the Citadel."

"You mean you aren't even on the Citadel?" He could hear the shock in her voice. "You better have a bloody good reason Shepard."

"It's Council..."

"Save it," She cut him off sharply. "I'm going back to the flat to meet your mother, come there and explain."

"I...Right," Shepard sighed. "I love you."

"Yep." Miranda cut the channel.

Shepard leaned back into his chair, pinching his nose and sighing.

"Fuck."

"That didn't sound good," Bau gave Shepard a sympathetic look. "Anything I can do?"

"No, not really," Shepard corrected himself. "Well if she doesn't believe what I've been doing and thinks I'm seeing someone else or something ridiculous like that than you may have to give me an alibi."

"I can do that."

He sighed again. "This is exactly what I wanted to avoid. Can you head to Silversun Strip when we get to the Citadel?"

"Of course."

The remainder of the flight passed slowly for Shepard. It was almost torturing slow, as he ran through various scenarios in his head. He had literally no idea how she was going to react, but Miranda had every right to be annoyed with him. Lying was one thing she detested the most, after all she had been lied to for most of her life. She had taken a great risk in trusting him, and one of the things he had always promised her was to be truthful. Yet here he was.

He was almost twitching by the time the shuttle touched down on the Strip, giving a quick goodbye to Bau and jumping out of the shuttle. He impatiently ascended in the elevator and ran to the front door of the flat, darting straight through it.

Miranda was seated on the sofa next to his mother and she stood up as he entered, turning to face him.

"Miri I..."

She interrupted him straight away, with a shocked expression. "You promised you wouldn't."

"What?"

"You said you wouldn't go back into service."

It was then that he realised what she was talking about. In his panicked state he had completely forgotten to remove his armour and weapons.

"No it's not like that," He took a couple of steps towards her with outstretched arms. To his horror, she took a couple back away from him. "I've not been in service, I've been..."

"Get out."

Miranda spoke so quietly that Shepard barely caught the words. His jaw dropped, and he had no idea what to say to make her listen.

"Miri, please.."

"No Shepard," Miranda looked pointedly away from him. "I can't do this now, just get out."

He stood stock still, unable to move. He looked over at his mother who shook her head sadly at him, he couldn't see Elizabeth. Shepard looked back over to Miranda, swallowing before nodding his head in a resigned manner. Slowly he backed out of the room, turning away and out of the door.

XXXXXXXX

Miranda had regretted her reaction almost instantly. She had stood rooted in place as her brain slowly processed what had just occurred, staying still for almost a minute. Then she had turned to face Hannah who had a sympathetic expression.

"I overreacted, didn't I?" She had been replied with a sad nod from Hannah. "Can you look after Lizzie? I'll get him back."

Now it was forty minutes later and Miranda still hadn't found him. She had been to the SPECTRE offices first, going across the corridor to his own office a few minutes later. He had been at neither, so she had moved down into his favourite areas of the Presidium but he was still no where to be seen. Miranda wasn't planning to go into the wards at this time of night though, and resigned to having to call him. She had wanted to find him and speak in person, she shouldn't have been so dramatic with him and she knew it. She should have heard him out, like any normal partner would have done for their paramour.

Miranda was about to call his omni-tool when she had a sudden idea of where he was. She hailed a cab next to a bank and jumped in, setting the navigation computer to the Silversun Strip.

Upon arriving she headed down the Strip to the casino, going up the stairs to the top floor bar. As she had suspected he was indeed sat on a barstool, though now out of his armour and back in his customary jeans and t-shirt. Miranda walked up to him slowly, taking a seat next to him.

"Miri?" He was looking at her with pleading eyes.

"I thought you'd be here," She looked down at the glass of liquor in his hands, she presumed a glass of whisky. "How many have you had?"

"This is my second, honestly," He stared down at the glass. "Didn't particularly feel like getting completely hammered."

"Where is your armour?"

"Bau hadn't left, I dumped it in his shuttle before he went."

He made to drink his liquor but Miranda grabbed the glass with her biotics, pulling it into her grasp. She handed it straight over to the barman.

"He doesn't need it," She looked back at his dejected expression, narrowing her eyes at him. "Come on, we need to talk."

With that she stood up and walked away, without saying anything else. A few seconds later she heard the scraping noise of a bar stool being moved, followed by footsteps as Shepard hurried to catch up with her.

They walked back to the flat in silence, passing through the crowds with relative ease. That was mainly because people recognised the pair, as was now per usual, and stepped aside respectfully. Luckily the whispers that had once followed them around had receded, now replaced by wondrous expressions and wide smiles. It was still a little odd, but a lot easier to deal with.

As they stepped into the flat Hannah stood up to meet them with Elizabeth in her arms, a relieved smile on her face.

"Shall I take Elizabeth out and leave you two to talk?"

"Thanks Hannah."

Hannah walked over to the door, placing Elizabeth carefully into her pram and taking her off without another word. Miranda walked over to the fireplace, Shepard following her. She turned to talk, and they both ended up talking at the same time.

"Miri," - "Shepard,"

Miranda seized the opportunity to speak before he did.

"You lied to me about where you were today," She made sure to put on her coldest of tones, something she hadn't used for a while. "I don't like being lied to."

Shepard opened his mouth but closed it again, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"And I've been lied to by many people, but you are the one I thought would never do that to me."

"Never without a reason!" He looked up at her with pleading eyes, she turned away from him to avoid locking with them. "Honestly."

Miranda turned around and hissed back at him. "Well what am I supposed to think when you lie about your whereabouts and then turn up at home in full armour?"

"Can I please explain? Just hear me out," Shepard scratched the back of his neck. "Then you can decide what you want to do."

"Yes, fine." She nodded slowly, and he appeared slightly more at ease as she did so. Shepard sat down on the sofa, leaving space for Miranda next to him. Really she desperately wanted to jump into his arms, to ignore everything else and pretend nothing had happened. But she couldn't back down now, not until she had the whole story. And she hoped that it was something she could forgive, she didn't want to be throwing their relationship away over nothing. Not when he was so special to her.

"I've not been fighting at all, neither have I been in service for the Alliance," Shepard ran a hand through his hair, giving him a slightly dishevelled look. "I've been on the trail of a Cerberus team or cell, I was at a base of theirs today with Jondam Bau."

"Cerberus?" Miranda raised an eyebrow.

"You remember when I went to the first Council meeting after Lizzie was born?" Miranda nodded. "Well there had been a discovery, of something on the planet Nirvana."

Miranda nodded again. "That's in the Utopian system."

"Yeah. A team was sent down but they never reported back, so the Council sent an N7 special operations team led by Grunt in response," Miranda began to pace as she listened, listening intently so to not miss a detail. "They found a Cerberus facility there, and the bodies of the team. There were no enemies there though, the place was empty and cleaned out except for a little amount of encrypted data and one or two bits of equipment."

"Wait, hang on a second," Miranda stopped pacing, looking up at him. "There was nothing in The Illusive Man's files about a base on that planet."

"Exactly, and the Council were concerned because of it. I went along to the base on that day with Jondam Bau to start an investigation," Shepard quickly added more. "It was relatively safe but I had weapons and armour just in case."

"You mean you were doing this back then?" Miranda was aghast. "You've kept this from me for this long?"

"It's been killing me Miri, I hated lying to you."

She spread her arms in exasperation, raising both of her eyebrows. "Why did you even go though? I don't understand, they have dozens of SPECTRES."

"Because..." Shepard looked down, speaking really quietly. "The Council wanted you to go."

That surprised her. "What?"

"You have a detailed knowledge of Cerberus' procedures, they wondered if you could find anything there."

"Why didn't you tell me this?" Miranda realised she had raised her voice so she dropped it, tyring to lower her aggression. "And why did you go instead?"

"I was worried, in case it was a trap," Shepard finally met her eyes with his own. "I didn't want you to get hurt, so I said I'd go instead."

It was then that Miranda finally realised why he had gone behind her back. She couldn't stop herself from almost diving into his arms, settling next to him and wrapping arms around his torso. She couldn't be angry with him now, not now she knew. To be honest he had been a little out of sorts for the past few weeks, and this explained that.

"This is about Sanctuary, isn't it?" He nodded. "Oh, John."

"I'm so sorry, I should have told you. I should have given you the opportunity to go if you wanted, it was safe after all, and it was wrong of me to make the decision for you," Shepard spoke rapidly, and Miranda could feel his heart hammering underneath his ribcage. "Don't leave me, I would never lie about anything to you again, I didn't want to in the first place anyway. And Lizzie needs you as well, I couldn't..."

"Shh," Miranda silenced him with a gentle squeeze. "I'm not going anywhere, not now I know what's going on. You really should have told me, but I can understand why you didn't."

He nodded.

"But I wouldn't have gone, I know how much you would have worried. And I would have worried about you if I had of known as well," Miranda pressed a light kiss to his cheek. "And Lizzie needs you as well as she needs me, how would I raised her without you?"

"That's what was going through my mind."

There was a few moments of silence before Miranda continued.

"I'm sorry for overreacting, it was immature of me," She sighed. "I just saw your armour and panicked, I should have known you wouldn't go back on you word."

"I would never do that, I promised you before and I'll stick to it."

She rubbed his back lightly. "So, where were you today then?"

"Another base that we got from the encrypted data at the first one, on Grosalgen in the Styx Theta cluster."

"Again, that doesn't ring a bell."

"I know, it wasn't on the list either."

"Hmm," Miranda paused. "Did you find anything there?"

"Some weapons, some different DNA, that sort of thing."

Miranda stayed silent for a second, considering how to phrase what she was thinking. "John, can you promise me something else?"

"Anything."

"Be careful, really careful," She pulled back to study him. "No matter how disorganised this group seems to be, don't trust that it isn't a trap. Anyone from Cerberus is dangerous, it could be a breadcrumb trail."

"I know, the thought crossed my mind as well," He gave her a small smile in return. "But of course I'll be careful, if you're happy with me continuing this investigation that is."

"You've started it so you should finish it, and if you need a hand I can help."

"OK."

Miranda leaned back into him again, allowing his arms to wrap around her again. She sighed as she rested her head on his chest.

"You know, that's our first proper fight?"

"Suppose it is, and I don't want many more," Miranda looked up at him. "What happens now though?"

"Well," Shepard gave her a suggestive grin. "We could have crazy awesome make up sex."

"Hmm," Miranda purred playfully. "I'm not sure you're quite off the hook yet."

"What about a deal?" Shepard grinned again. "If I please you, I'm out the doghouse."

Miranda grinned. "It had better be the best sex ever for that to happen."

"Oh, it will be," He grinned in return, picking Miranda up in his arms and hauling her off the sofa. He walked her across the room but stopped half way. "You know, I really am sorry."

Miranda cupped his face with a hand, smiling kindly. "I know."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N Just to let you know I have edited the previous chapter, nothing too durastic – about an extra 200 ish words in the last scene. Anyway, on with this chapter.**

**13****th**** June 2188 – Crucible pulse + 20 months**

"C'mon Lizzie, open wide," Shepard moved the spoon in front of Elizabeth's mouth, pushing it lightly against her lips. Her mouth stayed stubbornly shut however, she even began to tilt her head away from it whilst giving him a cold glare. "Seriously, eat it. Please?"

He still had no luck so he pulled the spoon back with a frown, trying to come up with a plan. The baby was very stubborn about eating her food whenever he tried to get her to eat, even Miranda struggled to get her to eat on occasions. It often took a lot of coaxing before she would try even one mouthful, though Shepard couldn't blame her – the food smelt rather disgusting.

"Please Lizzie, for my sake just eat a little bit," He got a grin in reply. "Honestly, your mum will be really annoyed with me."

He tried to push the spoon against her lips once more, but again Elizabeth wouldn't accept it. She screamed rather noisily and banged her arms on the table of her high chair in protest, prompting Shepard to sigh in resignation and drop the spoon again. He reassessed the situation once more, clearly pleading wouldn't work.

"Right Elizabeth, if you don't eat this food then I'll...I'll...erm.." He scratched his head, what could you do to threaten a baby? It wasn't as if he could ground her or anything. "I'll take away your plushy toys!"

Elizabeth looked him dead in the eyes, widening her own cerulean orbs whilst pouting her lips. Shepard's heart melted at the sight, it was rather cute.

"I didn't mean that Lizzie, sorry." He lowered the spoon in resignation, about to chuck the food away, but then he had one final idea.

"How's about this?" He raised the spoon up a third time, but instead of going straight to her mouth he zigzagged it around in the air in front of her. Her eyes followed the spoon but they quickly flicked back onto Shepard as he made swishing noises before darting the spoon at her mouth. "Here comes the Normandy!"

He did get a smile but she still wouldn't open up for him. He sighed and placed the spoon on her little table pinching the bridge of his nose with one hand. He closed his eyes for a second, but reopened them when he heard a thumping from Elizabeth's table.

"What?" His mouth hung open as he saw Elizabeth gripping an empty spoon with a wide smile. She had missed narrowly, with a bit of food spread around her lips, but she had successfully fed herself. His mouth was still agape when he heard chuckling behind him.

"That was just hilarious," Miranda approached the two at the dining room table, giving Elizabeth a wide smile and seating herself down the other side of the high chair. "That was being officially outsmarted by a half year old baby!"

"Yeah," Shepard rolled his eyes. "That's makes me the third most intelligent person in the house."

"Erm, fourth actually," Miranda grinned at him as she carefully cleared the mess around Elizabeth's lips with a cloth. "Legion studies quantum physics when you're not looking."

"I knew he has a bit of a shifty look about him sometimes." Shepard dead panned in response.

"Someone is a very clever girl though."

"Rather too clever if you ask me!" Shepard cocked his head at his daughter. "I really wasn't expecting that."

"She has been watching us eat, she's only copying what we do," Miranda stood back up, giving Elizabeth a kiss on the cheek. "Maybe she needs to start eating at meal times with us more regularly, obviously she may want snacks in between. Also, I think we should start giving her a drink with food as well, water obviously."

"Sure, I guess that's a good idea."

"And it has to be in a normal cup, not one of those ones with a no spill lid," Miranda shook her head. "They have those silly nozzles that aren't brilliant for teeth development, plus she needs to learn to drink properly."

"Yeah, you asked me to buy some normal plastic cups the other day."

"And we should drink the same stuff from the same cups in front of her, so that she can copy us. That's how she'll learn the best."

"Yes Miranda," Shepard stood up, placing his hands on her waist. "Chill out, seriously. There's no need to worry so much."

"I know that, I just want to get things right – for her to have the perfect environment, opportunities, and lifestyle to grow up in," Miranda sighed. "I just want to be a good mother, you know?"

Shepard rolled his eyes. "Listen, you are a fantastic mother – the best. You're so good with Lizzie, it's obvious to anyone that she adores you. And you adore her."

"Yes, but that isn't enough you know."

"I know what this is about," Shepard pressed a quick kiss to Miranda's lips, pulling back with a smile. "Just because of how your father was, as an attempt of a parent, doesn't have any effect on you as a parent. You are fantastic, the only good thing he ever did was to give you to the galaxy."

"Why are you always so fantastic? And thank you for saying these things about me," Miranda placed her arms around his neck. "Though there is one other thing."

"Which is?"

"Well maybe it's time that Lizzie moves into her own room, she's more than old enough," Shepard was about to open his mouth to object but Miranda beat him to it. "I know you love having her in the bedroom, but she really needs to be able to sleep alone."

"Really? Do we have to do that so soon?"

"Yes," Miranda gave him a grin. "There are perks to it, you know?"

"Oh?"

"Absolute privacy..."

"Hmm, that's an intriguing thought," Shepard grinned in return. "Just you and..."

He was interrupted by a scream from Elizabeth, both of the pair turning to face her. She was smiling happily at them, clearly pleased to have gotten their attention.

"Excuse me!" Miranda spoke to the baby in a scandalised tone, raising an eyebrow. "You should let your parents give each other some attention now and then."

Elizabeth let out a little giggle like sound in reply before turning back to the spoon on her little table, picking it up and whacking it onto the surface several times. Shepard made to go towards her and stop her before she hit herself but stopped as the doorbell rang out, causing Legion to bolt up to the door whilst barking noisily.

"I'll get it."

Shepard walked out of the room quickly but obviously not quick enough, the visitor impatiently pressing the buzzer a second time and holding it down.

"All right, all right," Shepard shouted out as he opened up the door, though he was surprised at who was the other side. "Bau?"

"Shepard we need to move, and quickly," The Salarian spoke very quickly, equalling the speed that Mordin used to reach when in full flow. "We've got them, but we have to move fast!"

Shepard was taken aback. "Cerberus? Where are they?"

"On Earth, a base in one of your deserts – the Sahara."

"John?" He turned to see Miranda carrying Elizabeth to him at the front door.

"Miri I..."

"Go," He noticed Miranda swallow nervously, though in testament to her strength she didn't betray any fear on her face. "But you better take care of him Bau, I mean it."

"You have my word Miss Lawson," Bau nodded solemnly. "Alliance teams are already moving to secure it, hopefully there will not be any fighting. Shepard – your armour is in the shuttle."

"Right, I'll join you in a second," As the Salarian hurried off Shepard turned to Miranda. "I'll be fine, I promise you."

"Good," Miranda leaned forwards to give him a kiss, their lips maintaining contact for a while. "Love you."

"Love you too," Shepard gave Elizabeth a kiss on the forehead. "Love you as well."

XXXXXXXX

The shuttle was was relatively short, only forty minutes to get to the base. Shepard changed into his armour in the back as they travelled, selecting a variety of weapons from the large crate Bau had brought along. He decided on a greater armament than before, just in case, selecting a Harrier battle rifle, Mantis sniper rifle, Escrivator shotgun, and a Carnifex pistol. He also took a belt of inferno grenades, just in case.

The shuttle touched down into a scene of chaos. The rocky plain they had landed on was swarming with Alliance soldiers and various armoured vehicles, and gunships patrolled in steady circles above them. Shepard noticed what looked like a commanding officer directing the operations and jumped out of the shuttle to head towards him, striding through the throng of troops. They all seemed to notice who was passing between them however, every single person dropped what they were doing and snapped to a salute as Shepard passed by them. His instant reaction was to return the salute but he swallowed the urge, after all he wasn't in the military any more. Instead he nodded respectfully as he continued his walk.

"Councillor Shepard, we just received word you would be coming here," The officer snapped to a salute. "I am Commander Johnson, 23rd infantry regiment."

"Right, you in command here?"

"Yes Sir," The soldier dropped his salute. "And it's an honour to meet you sir."

Shepard nodded quickly in way of reply, now wasn't the time for flattery. "Sitrep?"

"This base was picked up on scanners, we were scrambled with air support unit," The commander began to walk and Shepard followed. "As we arrived the enemy boarded their own shuttles, two of them got away."

They rounded a large cluster of boulders and another large expanse of land was revealed to them. Shepard's eyes were drawn to a twisted and smoking wreck about fifty metres from them, surrounded by a group of soldiers.

"Looks like you got the third one then."

As they approached the wreckage the soldiers in front snapped to salutes, the commander putting them at ease almost straight away. One stepped forward to speak.

"We have one survivor sir, but he won't last long."

"Great," Shepard grinned. "Lets have a look."

They were lead around to the other side of the wreck where an assault trooper had been freed from the shuttles remains. His armour was dented and battered, blood seeping from a large wound in his side. The trooper was alive, but only just as his wheezing breath revealed. Shepard knelt down by the Cerberus agent, grabbing his shoulders and pulling him up.

He leaned forwards, glowering directly at the eye slits on the troopers helmet. "Right, start talking quickly and I'll ease your pain."

"Hah!" The trooper snarled back at him, spluttering and coughing violently before speaking in a gruff tone distorted by his voice modulator. "What is there to tell?"

Shepard shook the trooper roughly. "That's what I'm asking jackass."

"You'll get what's coming to you Shepard," He coughed again. "What you deserve."

The troopers body fell limp in Shepard's hands as he died of his injuries. Shepard dropped the body with a disgusted sneer and stood back up, turning to face the commander.

"Those other two shuttles, where were they headed?"

"North east bearing, we have fighters sweeping in various quadrants but we may not find them for some time if they have gone to ground."

"Also," One of the team members stepped forwards. "This shuttle has stealth capabilities, we may only be able to detect them visually."

"Right," Shepard thought for a second. "Get on to the Admiralty Board, I'm recommending that the Sol relay is sealed and that the fifth and third fleets relinquish their fighter craft for search duties – I doubt they'll argue if Cerberus is loose in the system. Bau, get on to C-sec and warn them – they might want to seal their docks."

Both the Salarian and the human nodded their assent, both opening up their omni-tools to begin to relay his orders. Shepard was about to move when his own omni-tool bleeped.

"This is..."

"Shepard!"

"Valern?" Shepard noted the panic in the Salarian Councillor's voice. "Are you OK?"

"Are you at the base on Earth?"

"Yes, we're there.."

The Salarian interrupted him again. "It's a trap!"

Shepard's eyes shot up, and one hand grabbed his pistol from it's holster. The other soldiers around him noticed his movements, they followed his lead and drew their weapons whilst looking for threats around them. The commander made a signal with his hands for them to move back to the landing site, and the soldiers quickly formed a ring around Shepard as they began to head back.

"What do you know Valern?"

"Shepard, I'm...I'm sorry."

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "For what?"

"They took my family, they forced me to comply or else they would kill them," Realisation dawned on Shepard. "I had no way of warning you without them finding out."

"But you can now?"

"The STG has rescued my family from another facility."

As they reached the landing site the commander called out to his troops. "Form up! Get an escort for the Councillor, now!"

Shepard turned back to the holographic projection of Valern on his wrist. "Are they going to strike here?"

"No Shepard, they wanted to make you pay the highest price," Valern put his head in his hands. "You aren't the target."

Shepard stopped in his tracks, horror forming on his face. "No..."

"They're headed to your house, to eliminate Miss Lawson and your child."


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N Well due to your comments I tried to do this as quick as possible, enjoy! Got to write some action in this, first time in a long while...**

**13****th**** June 2188 – Crucible pulse + 20 months**

Miranda slowly carried Elizabeth up the stairs, cradling the sleeping baby in her arms. She had been rather fussy ever since Shepard left an hour ago, and it had taken the whole time to get her to fall asleep. She had decided not to move the cot today afterall, Miranda really couldn't be bothered to move the solid wood piece of furniture downstairs to Lizzie's bedroom on the first floor on her own. She could let Shepard do the heavy lifting when he got back. Of course that meant not waking Elizabeth up whilst ascending two sets of spiral staircases to the bedroom, though Miranda was pretty sure she could succeed.

She did manage to get to their bedroom on the top floor without a problem, turning left at the top of the stairs, past Shepard's ever growing collection of novels in the landing, and into the spacious room. Miranda walked to Shepard's side of the bed to the cot, carefully lowering Elizabeth down onto the mattress. She pulled up the furry blanket from the bottom of the cot to cover Elizabeth, tucking the baby in snugly. Miranda gave her a kiss on the forehead before stepping back, smiling fondly as she watched her daughter sleep. After a few minutes she walked passed the bed to the French doors at the far end of the room, opening them up and walking out onto the balcony. She sighed as she leaned on the railings, staring down into the sun soaked Italian valley that snaked off to the south. It was a beautiful evening, utterly picturesque.

Miranda was concerned, there was no doubt about that. Whilst she had let Shepard go, she was rather worried about him by now. Cerberus were dangerous, no matter how much disarray their forces were in after the war. There were individual operatives within the organisation that would want their revenge on those that had played a part in the downfall of the group, and Shepard would definitely appear at the top of that list. She couldn't help but feel there was something wrong, very wrong.

After a several minutes of fretting she decided she couldn't wait any longer and brought up her omni-tool to call Shepard. She selected his number from her contacts list and dialled, but a red error triangle appeared on the display screen. She furrowed her eyebrows and tried again, but the same thing happened once more. Miranda headed inside and grabbed her spare omni-tool from her bedside cabinet, turning it on and tapping her foot impatiently as it booted up. She performed the same routine a third time, and for a third time the red error message appeared.

"Strange," Miranda mused to herself as she began to run a diagnostic on both of her omni-tools. The tests assured her that there were no issues with either of her omni-tools, and that they were both connected to the extranet with a very strong signal. But then she noticed the problem, an interruption to the connection in between the device and the extranet. Miranda narrowed her eyes. "It's like a...jamming...beacon?"

Miranda ran back out onto the balcony, rapidly scanning the nearby area with her eyes for any sign of movement. It seemed clear so she ran back into the bedroom and hurtled down the stairs, barging into one of the bedrooms downstairs and out into it's own balcony. She looked out over the lake to the east, again it was clear so she walked around the corner of the house to check north. She was about to move on when she caught movement in that direction, at the bottom of the forest by the lakes northern shore. There were people, and they were clearly armed.

Miranda's first thought was of Elizabeth and she ran upstairs to grab her. She picked the baby up, carefully, and hurried over to the bathroom, kneeling down in front of the toilet and running a thumb behind it's tank. There was a tiny DNA sensor hidden there, and a high pitched ping told Miranda it had accepted her thumb print. She stood back up, turning to face the tile in the middle of the room that had popped up and slid open.

She had never told John about the hidey hole because he would probably have said it wasn't a good idea or suitable for Elizabeth, and that Miranda was being paranoid. But now Miranda was glad to have installed it, even in secret. Underneath the tile was a hole that was big enough for Lizzie, padded out with memory foam and faux fur rugs. There was soft lighting from underneath the memory foam so that Elizabeth could see without being blinded, and even a miniature music player with a playlist of soothing classical music. Once Lizzie was in there it could be completely sealed, it had it's own disguised air supply and was sound proof. It was also gas proof, shielded against explosions and temperatures of up to two thousand degrees, and a miniature and sophisticated jamming device prevented any scanners from being able to detect her life-signs – with the exception of the omni-tools belonging to a select few people. Kasumi, Liara, and Garrus all knew, and their omni-tools had specific coding to be able to cut through the jammer to find Elizabeth should anything happen to Miranda and Shepard. Unless the entire house collapsed, Lizzie should be very safe and could be rescued afterwards.

Miranda lowered her daughter into the hidey hole, switching on the lights, music, and jammer before kissing her softly on the forehead. Then Miranda slid the tile back into place slowly, DNA locking it with the switch again. She headed back into the bedroom and grabbed a Kassa Locust from her lingerie draw – having to extract it from beneath a lacy pink corset with a wry grin – and a pair of combat blades from her shoe draw. Then she headed back downstairs, picking up Shepard's hidden mantis from behind a bookcase on the way. Finally she grabbed a large pile of thermal clips from their own draw on the first floors landing before emerging back out onto the balcony.

The first of the unknown assailants were emerging cautiously from the tree line, attempting to stay hidden by moving between ditches and bushes. Miranda knelt down on the balcony and rested the sniper rifle on the railing, squinting as she looked down the modified scope. She zoomed in on the first soldier, noting with a sneer that he was indeed a Cerberus assault trooper.

Miranda froze. Internally she was terrified, had she done enough to keep Elizabeth safe? Was John safe, or had he been set up in some sort of trap as well? If not, could he get back in time? What would he do if Miranda and, god forbid it, Lizzie died? Miranda couldn't see him wanting much more of a life if that happened.

She swallowed, forcing down her fears. She hated the fact that she felt fear in combat these days, before her relationship with John she would have been completely calm and collected. But Miranda also knew that she could use that fear, convert it into aggression and power to protect her daughter.

A clicking behind her caused her to spin, but she realised it was just Legion. The dog was growling, eyes fixed ahead at the approaching enemies coming into his territory. Miranda looked at the big dog, feeling a little comfort for his presence – even if he couldn't do anything against foes in heavy armour.

"Looks like it's you and me eh?"

Miranda returned to the scope, the assault trooper had moved a further ten metres closer. She composed her face and her feelings, taking in the familiar surge of adrenaline beginning to flow around her body. She brought the aim of the rifle upwards to the head of the trooper, fixing the cross-hairs between the eye slits of the helmet. Miranda squeezed the trigger, causing his head to explode in a fountain of blood with a perfect head shot.

Miranda exhaled as she reloaded, swapping her aim to the next trooper and executing him in the same fashion. She fixed a defiant expression on her face as she killed again and again. She was going to protect her daughter, or die trying.

XXXXXXXX

Shepard had spent the first ten minutes of the shuttle journey back trying to contact Miranda, but to no success. It wasn't that she wasn't picking up, but his omni-tool just wouldn't connect. He guessed that Cerberus had jammed communications, and that only added to his worry. Now he was briefing Johnson's team who were flying in formation with Bau's shuttle.

"The house is next to a lake, the front of the house faces east," Shepard selected a 3D map of the house and sent it over to the commander's omni-tool. "The west, east, and north of the lake have mountains on them, around six hundred metres in height – they're only the foothills of the Alps, not the huge mountains like Mont Blanc. South is the descent from the house, down the valley to the village about ten minutes away."

"Can we head in from the south?"

"Negative, it's very open. There is an unhindered view of the entire valley from the house, if..." Shepard swallowed. "If Miranda is still alive and holed up in the house but Cerberus see us approaching they'll push to get her."

Bau chipped in from the pilot seat. "Right, we need to get the jump on them then."

"Yeah. The west is a no go, the descent to the house requires climbing equipment or jet-packs as it's so steep, and the east mountain is open fields owned by farmers – they'll see us coming that way too," Shepard narrowed his eyes at the map. "The best bet would be coming in from the north, through the forest."

"So where shall we land?"

"If we steer clear and low around the valley as to not be seen we can then head around the east of the kind of bowl the lake is in. We can get around to the other side of the north hills, land out of sight just off the summit," Shepard nodded to himself, it was their best plan of action. "It'll be a short walk over the summit, and then down to the lake and around to the house."

The commander's voice came across the comms again. "On the map it looks like the forest doesn't grow all the way up to the summit on the north."

"Correct, the tree line is about two hundred metres down from the summit," Shepard sighed. "We'll be exposed at the top, but if we sprint then we might get down unseen. When we're in the forest we'll be completely hidden."

"It doesn't help that it's such a beautiful and sunny evening, they'll probably see us coming a mile off."

"Yeah, but maybe that would have helped Miranda to see them coming."

Shepard sat down in the co-pilots seat, placing his head in his hands. He had walked right into this trap, he had been lured out and away from Miranda and Elizabeth rather too easily. And he had been for too relaxed about the security around the house. It was all well and good to have weapons stashed around the house, but one person could not defend the place on their own. He should have used his Councillor privileges to get automated defences for the house, or a quick response team stationed close by. He had been stupid, and there was a large chance he would pay the ultimate price.

"Shepard," He looked up as Bau called his name. "Miss Lawson is tough, and rather skilled from what I've heard. I'm sure she's holding out for now."

"I damn hope so."

They lapsed into silence for several minutes, but it was interrupted by commander Johnson.

"Councillor, one of my guys has come up with an idea."

"I'm listening."

"All of my men carry snipers, the majority of the unit are crack shots. We could drop a third of my men on the east mountain, a third on the west, and a further third on the north with you. The ones on the other hills could set up a sniper cross fire to engage any enemies visible either outside or inside the house."

"And the rest would be with me to infiltrate the house?"

"Exactly, we can take any exterior guards out silently before you go in - give Miranda more of a chance."

"That's a good plan, do it."

"Aye."

A tense twenty minutes later and they were all on the ground in their planned landing sites. Shepard, Bau, and the nine men with them jogged up from the shuttle to the summit of the hill, lying down on the ground to stay hidden whilst peaking over the top of the hill to view the house. The clear and sunny weather gave them a perfect view of his home. Shepard grabbed his mantis and zoomed in, he counted a pair of troopers on the closest side of the house, and another four were hiding by the front door. They were taking cover underneath the windows, so Shepard hoped that was an indicator that Miranda was still alive and fighting.

Shepard checked the chronometer on his omni-tool, it was counting down to zero. With the communications jammer that Cerberus had the teams could not communicate with each other, so they had to pre plan their attack and hope for the best. When the timer hit zero the snipers were going to take out anyone outside and downstairs of the house and Shepard and his team would make for the building.

"Bau, what can you do? Specialist wise, I mean."

"Tech powers – cryo blasts, neural shocks, incineration blasts, EMP's."

"Good," Shepard nodded his head, the counter was down to ten. "Everyone, get ready."

The final seconds ticked by before the counter finished. Literally, as it hit zero, all of the Cerberus troopers dropped dead to the ground, the silencers ensuring that the shots couldn't be traced. Every single one had been a perfect head shot, Johnson hadn't been lying that the squad were crack shots.

As one the team jumped up, sprinting down the hill towards the forest boundary. They cleared the open two hundred metres very quickly, taking about half a minute to do so. Upon reaching the trees Shepard slowed, indicating for the men to follow him closely. The conifers were packed closely together and once you were in the middle of the woods it was difficult to find your way out to where you wanted to go. Shepard knew the quickest way through to the bottom after many long walks with Legion and Miranda.

As quickly as they could the team moved through the forest. They covered the steepest part of the woods pretty rapidly, descending to the flatter areas by the side of the lake. Shepard cornered around a tree but stopped dead in his tracks as he noticed movement ahead. He raised a fist to order the others to stop and began to creep forwards whilst crouching down. Shepard went another few metres and passed around the right of another tree to discover the source of movement.

About forty metres ahead was the edge of the forest, the house just about visible through the conifers. But there was a Cerberus team just in front of him, he could currently see seven men. They didn't notice the presence of the Alliance team creeping up on them, they were all busy searching the west and east mountain top for the source of the sniper fire. Four of the enemy were nemesis snipers and two assault troopers assisted them in the search. The final man was a centurion officer, Shepard guessed he could be the leader of the group.

He was about to order the men to attack when he realised there was an eighth man in front of them, crouching down just behind the snipers. He was a combat engineer and he had his omni-tool deployed as he worked on a small box in front of him. Shepard was pleasantly surprised, it seemed they had stumbled across the jamming device.

He gestured for three of the Alliance troops to go on his right flank with another three on his left, taking point himself with Jondam and the remaining troops. Slowly they advanced, until they were only a couple of metres away. Then Shepard struck, jumping upwards with a cry and heading straight for the centurion in the middle.

"EMP, now!"

Bau complied with his order, firing his omni-tool neatly at the Cerberus officer. Not only did it remove the shields of the centurion, but the blast jumped to the nearby engineer and overloaded his own shields as well.

Now that the centurion was open for attack Shepard fired a concussive round straight at his chest, knocking the enemy backwards and rewarding Shepard with a cry of pain. The centurion tried to recover but wasn't quick enough as Shepard followed up with a burst from his Harrier rifle, ripping apart the hole in his chest plate initially caused by the concussive round. The officer didn't even get a chance to fire his weapon before Shepard finished him off, ramming his omni-blade through the Cerberus' troopers neck guard. The blade sheared right through the armour and into the flesh of his neck, blood spurting out from the sliced artery.

By the time the centurion's body had hit the ground Shepard was all ready on the move towards the engineer, though this time the enemy was more prepared. He tried to follow through with the momentum from his prior kill with his omni-blade but the engineer brought up his own omni-tool with a shield like function to parry the blow, before jumping backwards and drawing his shotgun. Shepard approached again with his omni-blade, ignoring the shotgun salvo that bombarded his shields during his charge. The gun was raised to fire at his exposed head so Shepard ducked down, ramming his omni-tool upwards towards the engineers chest. The move was blocked once again, this time by the specialist desperately shoving his shotgun into the way of the blade and catching it in a lock. Shepard didn't care about that though, the engineer had fallen into his trap. As they struggled in the lock Shepard used his free hand to grab his pistol, pumping rounds into the engineers unshielded stomach. The enemy dropped his weapon and fell to his knees, clutching his stomach where blood was freely flowing. Shepard used the momentum from the lock to swing downwards and sideways, decapitating the engineer in one swift and savage move.

As Shepard looked up it became evident that they had caught the Cerberus team by surprise, the Alliance troops had finished off the rest of the squad without any issues or injuries to themselves. Shepard walked over to the jammer whilst drawing his shotgun, pumping a trio of rounds into it to destroy it. His communicator immediately crackled to life, and he spoke through it to get to the sniper teams.

"This is insertion team, we just removed a Cerberus team in the woods and took out the jammer. Heading to the house now."

"Roger that, this is sniper west," There was a pause. "We have removed all hostiles on the outside, though we reckon there is one or two hostiles left in the house."

"Got it, moving now."

Shepard nodded to the team, breaking from cover quickly and sprinting towards the house. As he went he noticed several bodies of Cerberus troopers, all with pulverised heads that indicated perfect head shots. These hadn't been done by the Alliance snipers though, Miranda must have shot these ones herself. He was pretty impressed with her work, for all the times he had teased her she could indeed use a 'proper' gun.

He rushed to the front door, crouching to the right of it. The team took up positions to breach the door, several of them covering through the kitchen windows. Shepard took a breath and bolted around and inside the door, sweeping his rifle left and right as he passed each door. The soldiers behind him moved to clear each room as they progressed inside, all calling out that the ground floor was devoid of hostile contacts. They moved to catch up with Shepard but he had stopped in front of the spiral staircase, crouching down with a saddened expression.

Legion was lying at the bottom of the stairs, several impact wounds across his flank. The big dog was still alive but was breathing in a very shallow way, and he was losing blood fast. Shepard lightly stroked his head, giving the dog a tender smile – unless he got medical attention he wouldn't survive. But he knew he couldn't delay now though, Miranda and Elizabeth were his priorities. He nodded to the others and began to ascend the stairs carefully.

Upon reaching the first floor Shepard rounded the corner and bumped straight into a Cerberus phantom that was heading in the opposite direction. Shepard ducked backwards from the swing of it's sword and back into the stairs as the close combat specialist followed – coming face to face with eleven assault rifles. The trooper didn't survive long at all, the storm of bullets ripping through it's barriers and armour almost instantly and the body dropped to the floor with blood pouring everywhere.

They moved to secure the first floor and again it was devoid of life, completely clear. Shepard moved to the spiral staircase again, bringing out his scanner. It told him that there were two life signs on the floor above, in their bedroom. He was about to put it away when he noticed one of the life signs flicker and die, prompting him to swallow nervously. Either they were all safe, or he had just lost everything.

Cautiously he ascended the stairs, heading around the spiral slowly. As he reached the top he turned left past all of the bookcases, carefully pushing the door open whilst covering the room with his rifle. As he headed on in he couldn't see anyone, but he knew someone was still up here. On the floor were several bodies, two phantoms and an assault trooper were piled on the rug. Underneath however he could see an unarmoured shape underneath them, and his heart momentarily stopped.

He took a step forward, passing through the door. Suddenly he heard motion as a knife was pressed at the front of his neck, digging down and biting in his flesh. He expected it to carry on and slice through his main artery but after cutting in a few millimetres the knife stopped and was dropped. He turned around in surprise as a tangle of raven black hair shot towards his face and Miranda buried herself in his arms.

"Shepard!"

XXXXXXXX

"Stay still John!" Miranda chided him as she worked on cleaning out his neck wound, that she herself had inflicted.

"That tickles!"

Miranda rolled her eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

John peered over to the other side of the dining table where Elizabeth was seated in her high chair, happily glancing around the room. Shepard found it quite amusing that she was completely oblivious of the situation she had been in, and of the bullet holes and blood stains throughout the house. He looked back at Miranda as she continued to work diligently.

"Great thinking with that hidey hole for Lizzie though, I mean it," Shepard hissed lightly as Miranda pressed some antiseptic into the wound before it cooled back down. "Though why didn't you tell me about it?"

"Because I thought you would think it's over the top and unsafe for a child. It was only for very much worst case scenarios."

"Hardly," Shepard sighed, had he really appeared that relaxed about their safety? "I don't see how you could've protected her and fought off Cerberus at the same time, it definitely saved her. But if it had of been the reverse situation, with me there instead of you, I wouldn't have known."

"Yes, I know that now. Though you've only had Lizzie on your own at the flat not the house, but yes you're right," Miranda reached for her needle and stitches, beginning to work on binding the wound. "I didn't mean for it to be like a secret, sorry. But also, you would've been better at holding the house on your own, you were trained to be a front line soldier, I was a specialist operative – not really suiter for prolonged combat."

"You did a great job Miri. But don't worry, we got through it," Shepard moved a hand onto her thigh, rubbing reassuringly. "But maybe we have to sort out some better security, just in case there's anyone else out there who wants to harm us."

"Agreed, we've been too relaxed by far," Miranda stopped, dropping her head. "If anything had of happened to Lizzie, I would never have forgiven myself."

"And if I had of lost both of you..." Shepard mused, being silenced by a finger on his lips.

"Don't, I know where you're going with this John," Miranda gave him a reassuring kiss. "We just have to sort things out, our house needs to be completely safe."

"But we're not moving right? It won't take much to repair the house, and we can sort out some better security," Shepard looked into Miranda's azure eyes, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "This is a fantastic place to raise kids."

Miranda raised an eyebrow. "Erm...Kids? Plural?"

"Well, maybe we'll have some more kids. If you want, I mean there's no pressure or anything but..." As he explained rapidly Miranda silenced him with another kiss.

"Definitely," She pulled back with a grin. "Now let me sort your neck out."

"Who was the unarmoured woman in our room?"

"An operative like myself, she was in the similar kind of catsuit thing but you wouldn't have seen underneath the bodies of the phantoms. I think she was the ring leader, but once an investigation is under way we'll find out."

"I thought she was you at first."

"And I thought you were another assault trooper," Miranda grinned. "That's my excuse for almost killing you."

A few minutes past as Miranda worked carefully, and she was soon finished. Afterwards they spent some time playing with Lizzie, enjoying the fact that they were all safe. They weren't interrupted until about an hour later, when a medic who was from Johnson's team entered the room.

"Uhm, excuse me," They both turned to face the man. "There's someone who'd like to see you."

Before Shepard could say anything he saw Legion limp slowly into the room. The dog came to sit by him quietly, looking up with big, soft eyes. Shepard was about to stroke him when Miranda jumped down to sit on the floor next to him, hugging the dog closely.

"John, he threw himself between the troopers and I. He almost sacrificed himself for us," Miranda looked up at him with a smile. "Seems you picked the hero pup."

"Oh most definitely," Shepard stroked the dog's big head whilst looking up at the medic. "Thank you so much."

"Well, I'm no vet – I just did battlefield medicine. You'll have to take him to a vet soon though, just to be sure. It was just lucky that I could guess how to help, and that he was a pretty strong guy."

"It definitely was."

"Well, I've been told to let you know that we have been ordered to stay here for a good few hours. Clean up mostly, as well as security. We have called in some glazers for the windows, and some other guys for building work here. Once we're done, you won't even know there's been a fight."

"Right, great," Shepard smiled. "Thank you."

The man snapped off a quick salute before heading out of the room, Shepard raising an eyebrow to match Miranda's all ready raised eyebrow.

"Since when have Alliance troops repaired stuff?"

Miranda snorted. "Well you never did."

"Oi!"

"Ha!" Miranda laughed as she got up off the floor, settling herself in Shepard's lap. She placed an arm around his neck and began to kiss him happily, pulling back with a smile. "Love you."

Shepard grinned. "Not as much as I love you."

Miranda rolled her eyes. "We're not teenagers now, are we John?"

"You make out like one!"

**A/N There we go! I don't have enough of a George R R Martin streak to kill off Miranda, at least not yet. Plus it would make for a very depressing rest of the story I think, and there's a hell of a long way to go in my plan just yet.**

**As ever guys, feedback is really appreciated.**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N Well just a short one to round off the latest sub-plot arc, should be far less drama for the next couple of chapters. A bit more fluff instead.**

**I do have a large amount of ideas for the future stuff but if anyone has any ideas, no matter how small, that they want to see included then let me know – open to any suggestions or recommendations.**

**Enjoy. **

**28****th**** June 2188 – Crucible pulse + 20 months**

Shepard stretched out his arms as he reached the top of the hill, yawning as he waited for his companion to catch up.

"Come on Garrus!"

"Yeah yeah," Garrus waved a dismissive hand at him as he strode up to join him. "I'm here."

Shepard grinned in reply. "You getting old Turian? Can't handle some exercise?"

"Shut it Shepard," Garrus shook his head. "And I'm not getting old."

"Whatever Garrus," Shepard walked over to a nearby boulder, sitting down on it and taking off his rucksack to grab a bottle of water. "Fancy a drink?"

"Yeah," Garrus nodded and came to sit next to Shepard, pulling out a drink from his own bag. "It's a nice view from here."

Shepard followed Garrus' gaze down to the south, looking down at his house. He could make out Miranda and Tali on the back patio, next to the small paddling pool for Elizabeth. He moved his stare further down the valley, towards the giant diggers working in the distance.

"Aye, another beautiful day in a beautiful place," Shepard looked back to Garrus with a grin. "Though I fell guilty about being the reason that the valley's being dug up."

"I was gonna ask, what are they doing exactly?"

"When Cerberus had that jammer there was no communications at all, I could have given Miranda a good ten minutes warning otherwise – she could have got out in time," Shepard took a swig of water. "So as part of our security upgrades we're having hard-lines installed, they go through the village and on to the nearest Alliance base. It means we have, not only communications, but also panic buttons for an instant response."

"They?"

"Yep, Miranda reviewed the suggested upgrades and upgraded them herself once more. Her idea was three sets of lines buried at different depths, if someone finds out and tries to cut them then there is two more sets to cut."

"That's a good plan."

Shepard decided he a little hungry as well so he grabbed a chocolate bar from inside his bag, breaking it open and enjoying the sweet treat. Garrus seemed to have a similar idea, he began to munch on some dextro nuts of some kind. After a few mouthfuls the Turian turned back to him.

"So, how is the investigation going? Into the attack, I mean."

"Intel are pretty sure about what happened, I'm inclined to agree with what they have concluded. After we trashed Cerberus HQ their scientific cells went to ground, at least what was left of them, and their military forces that weren't on guard details fell back to preplanned rally points – Miranda said that that was standard Cerberus protocol," Shepard took another bite of chocolate before continuing. "Obviously they were lacking direction and a group of soldiers decided they were going to take out their loss of fortune on me. There was a operative with them, who was some kind of agent like Miranda used to be. It's possible she was the brains behind it all, but we don't know for sure."

"So another Brooks style woman?" Shepard nodded as Garrus did the Turian equivalent of furrowing his brow."So some of them just banded together and decided to hatch a plan to kill Miranda to get back at you for foiling Cerberus?"

"Yeah, they took one of their ships and began to hatch their plans. Initially we think they were going to assassinate Miranda at one of their bases, but Valern couldn't persuade me to let her go so they changed it around to lure me away instead," Shepard gave Garrus a significant look. "And that was worse, they could've got Lizzie too."

"It must have been scary for you Shepard," Garrus shook his head. "I would be terrified to be in that situation with Tali."

"It was like Sanctuary all over again. No, actually it was worse."

"By the way, what's happening about Valern?"

"Well he's been fully co-operative with the investigation, he's revealed everything he knew. And he has repeatedly apologised to us," He paused. "For what it's worth I can't bear him too much ill will, his family was taken by Cerberus after all."

Garrus gave him a suspicious look. "And there's proof of that?"

Shepard nodded. "Yeah, STG spent three months chasing the ship they were imprisoned on."

Garrus shook his head disapprovingly."So he was an accessory to the attempted murder of your family, yet you aren't too annoyed with him?"

"It doesn't work like that Garrus," Shepard sighed. "He was put in an impossible situation, his family would have been killed if he hadn't complied. If I had of been in his position...I don't know what I'd have done. I would probably have gone along with them whilst Liara tracked them down with her intel."

"I suppose I can see where you're coming from," Garrus finished off his bag of nuts. "What does Miranda think of it all?"

"Well that's another story," Shepard chuckled. "I thought she was going to be arrested by C-sec for attempted murder."

"Of Valern?"

"Yeah, initially she said she wasn't going to get involved with the investigation at all. I went along to a Council meeting where we were questioning Valern, supposedly on my own. Miranda caught up with me on the way."

"And?"

"Two C-Sec Turians tried to stop her from entering, one of them is still in Huerta," Shepard paused as Garrus snorted with laughter. "Inside the chambers she pinned Valern to the wall with biotics and it was only my intervention that stopped her from seriously hurting him."

"Wow, that's pretty nasty," Garrus grinned. "Can't say I'm surprised, she can be a scary woman."

"Quite. I had to take her off for an hour, to calm her down," Shepard caught a smirk from Garrus. "Not like that, you foul minded Turian."

"Are you sure? I guess she really wanted to release some...frustration."

"Look, we may be rather obsessed with each other and wildly in love – but we aren't into PDA or anything that kinky."

"Two words," Garrus grinned. "Engine room."

"Two words," Shepard grinned back. "Fuck off."

"So, after you had," Garrus made inverted comma's with his talons. "'Calmed her down'...what happened?"

"We went back in, to hear Valern explain. Miri spent the entire time pacing behind me – for a whole two hours – whilst staring at Valern. She didn't say a word for the meeting, just listened."

Garrus chuckled. "That's pressure."

"Aye," Shepard took a final swig of water before placing the bottle back in the bag. "The Council is still deciding on whether to remove Valern or not."

"You mean he hasn't been chucked yet?" Garrus shook his head in disbelief. "How can a Councillor who almost got another one killed by betraying the, be allowed to serve?"

"That's exactly Miranda's opinion, Wrex and Balak too. Raan and the Geth Councillor have abstained whilst Sparatus and Tevos firmly believe in second chances."

"Ah," Garrus hummed. "Meaning it's down to you."

"Exactly," Shepard considered for a moment. "But I'm not so sure about it, like I said – he was in a horrible position. We're all still in discussion about it at the moment."

"Yeah."

"Any way, we should get a move on," Shepard stood up off the rock, slipping his back pack on again. He began to walk but after a few paces he realised Garrus wasn't following him. "Garrus, you coming or what?"

"What are these Shepard?"

He turned around to the Turian who was facing away from him. Garrus was staring at a group of inquisitive sheep that had crept up behind them. One particularly bold sheep took a few steps forward, locking eyes with Garrus and bleating rather loudly. Garrus clearly wasn't expecting it and jumped at the noise.

"Chill out Garrus," Shepard chuckled. "They're just sheep."

"Right," Garrus crouched down to examine the animal closer. "What do they do?"

"They're herbivores, farm animals. We use their coats for wool for clothing and their meat tastes pretty good too."

"I see," Garrus stood back up. "They're kinda sweet, well compared to Turian farm animals. Most of those are pretty violent."

"Hah!" They turned away from the sheep, walking over the top of the hill to the north. They went for several hundred metres before stopping. "You think this is a good place for the last device?"

"Yeah, they should be about a kilometre apart."

"Right." Shepard nodded as he set his backpack on the ground, taking out a circular device, about half a metre in diameter with a wide spike on the bottom. It was another of their new security measures, provided by Liara. The device was one of many, surrounding the house entirely. They monitored their surroundings and provided a warning system of any approaching person, providing alerts to the occupants of the house.

He placed the device on the ground, pressing and holding the link button on it to link the device to his omni-tool. After the connection was established he issued the bury command to it, the spike on the bottom opening to reveal a group of mini drills. The device burrowed itself into the ground, descending a couple of metres. Shepard used his feet to press the dislodged earth back over the hole it had created, disguising the device's presence.

"Man, I can't get over how cool those things are. Do we want to know how Liara got hold of such tech?" Shepard didn't receive a reply from Garrus so he turned with a quizzical expression to the Turian, who was wandering off slowly again. "Garrus?"

"Shepard, you have some really strange animals on this planet."

"What've you found..." Shepard paused as he realised the creature Garrus was heading towards. "No Garrus, get back!"

"Why? It's kinda sweet." Garrus took another step towards the animal.

"No! That's a badger..." Shepard locked eyes with the badger and, with horror, realised it wasn't just any badger. It was the badger, and it began to growl as it recognised Shepard in return. "Shit Garrus, it's the one that got in the house last year!"

"What?" Garrus looked back at him with confusion. "The one you threw at the Admirals?"

"I didn't throw..." Shepard stopped. "Just leave it..."

Shepard didn't get to finish his sentence as the badger jumped at Garrus with a high pitched screech. The Turian got a huge shock and threw himself backwards from the violent beast, throwing a foot up and kicking it away.

"Holy shit!" Shepard hauled Garrus up off the floor as the badger dusted itself off and began to circle around them with the most furious of expressions. "Just run!"

With that the pair turned and sprinted away from it, pursued closely by the rampaging beast.

XXXXXXXX

"Did he really spend an entire day looking for that module?" Miranda laughed as she questioned the Quarian sitting at the table behind her. Miranda was kneeling on the grass next to the patio, carefully managing Lizzie in her little paddling pool.

"You mean did he spend a whole day chasing monkeys?" Tali laughed. "Yes, but he annihilated every monkey colony in a three click area from the landing zone."

"Oh god," Miranda chuckled again. "Of all the ridiculous things he's done, maybe that is the funniest."

"Well, maybe," Tali hummed thoughtfully. "What about his hamster?"

"The one he got on Illium?"

"Yeah, it escaped when the Alliance impounded the Normandy and was running around in engineering for months," Tali snorted with laughter. "According to Adams he was in engineering trying to catch it for a good few hours every day, but he didn't manage to get it until just before Rannoch. EDI's got the funniest footage ever."

"He didn't tell me that," Miranda raised an eyebrow at Lizzie as she happily threw a rubber duck across the pool. "Maybe he was too embarrassed that he spent most of the war trying to catch an errant hamster?"

"Oh most definitely," Tali mused. "He has a way with animals."

Miranda nodded. "Bloody strange one."

She turned back to Elizabeth who was now splashing the water around her with her hands whilst giggling madly. Miranda put her hand into the water to flick a tiny amount of water at her daughter, Elizabeth's retort was a full on splash that soaked Miranda's jeans.

"Lizzie!" She reprimanded her with a sigh, whilst Tali was laughing once more. "I'm soaked now!"

"That's rather Shepard like," Tali waved extravagantly in the air. "Someone does something rather minor, lets say waves a pistol in his direction, and he retorts with something a little mad, lets say an orbital bombardment."

Miranda chuckled. "Yes, she's picking up some of his eccentricities. I better put my foot down."

Miranda had to admit she had warmed greatly to the Quarian, in fact she had warmed to the majority of Shepard's friends. She corrected herself, they were their friends now. She had tried to have a more outgoing and friendly attitude with the people he was close to, as per John's suggestions, and that had actually given her a chance to begin to truly get on with them. She still wasn't perfect in social situations, but Miranda was working on it. And, of course, she was sure that Shepard had asked people to give her a chance as well – something she was very grateful for.

"So, how are things on Rannoch?"

"Coming along well, very well."

"And the Geth?" Miranda voiced tentatively.

"We're co-operating really well, the relations between our species is really good," Miranda was pretty sure that Tali was smiling behind her mask. "Obviously there is still some mistrust on our side, but most people are beginning to realise we were wrong about the Geth – that we forced their hand through our own stupidity."

"That's great news."

"It's fantastic. Without the Geth our progress wouldn't be any where near what it is. We have entire cities that have been established, on our own we'd only have crappy hab blocks to live in for years," Tali's voice was full of pride. "Garrus and I have a beautiful house out in the country and a twenty first storey apartment in the capital city. Twenty first storey!"

"I've heard that the Geth are helping with your immune systems," Miranda had indeed heard the rumours, but nothing had been confirmed officially. "How is that going?"

"Again, fantastically. The volunteers have undergone brilliant progress, now they can be out of their suits in public places for hours at a time."

"Wow, we might finally get to see you guys," Miranda cocked her head. "I admit, I've always been intrigued."

"You and half the galaxy," Tali dead panned in reply, then she looked up. "Oh, the boys are on their way back Miranda."

"Hmm," She turned her head, seeing Shepard and Garrus sprinting towards the house from the forest. "Why are they running?"

"I don't know, maybe they're racing?" Tali snorted. "A male pride thing? You know, who's the strongest, who's the fastest, who can pee up a tree the highest..."

This time Miranda guffawed as she watched them run. Soon she stopped however, she noticed what was snapping at their heels.

"Can you just look after Lizzie for a minute?"

"Sure." Tali stood up, walking to the pool and kneeling down by it. She put her hands around Lizzie to support her as Miranda moved away, heading into the house through the back door and grabbing Shepard's mattock from the fish tank. She returned to the patio, ignoring the questioning from Tali, and took aim just behind the men at the badger.

She didn't want to murder the animal just yet so she aimed just in front of it, firing a round just in front of it's paws. It skidded to a halt immediately, glaring at her with furious eyes. A loud bark from inside the house signalled that Legion had caught the scent and he bounded out onto the grass to defend his territory. He had healed well since the attack, and of course he had only been a pup when he had his last confrontation with the badger. With the odds he faced the badger began to back away, clearly it didn't want to push it's luck.

As it turned tail and disappeared Shepard and Garrus slowed to a halt, both bending over with their hands on their knees and clearly exhausted.

"Erm.." Tali broke the silence. "What just happened?"

Garrus paused before replying. "We just encountered the devil incarnate Tali."

"Yeah," Shepard took another few deep breaths as he agreed. "Furry Lucifer that thing, makes Harbinger look like a pansy."

Tali peered over towards the disappearing animal, cocking her head. "What was it?"

Miranda chuckled as she replied. "A badger."

Shepard corrected her as he wiped some sweat off his brow. "Nope, it's the badger."

"You mean the one you threw at the Admiralty board?"

"Why does everyone bring that up these days?" Shepard shook his head as Tali burst out laughing. "It's gonna be on my gravestone, along with insults about my driving and 'I should go'."

"Tali, you don't understand," Garrus had a very serious expression on his face as he explained. "That thing is terrifying, it's obscene."

"You wimp Garrus."

"Hello?" The call from around the side of the house drew their attention as Hannah Shepard walked up to them. Miranda had completely forgotten that Hannah was coming to visit from her her nearby house. She stopped with a surprised expression as she saw Garrus and Shepard still recovering from their exertion, Miranda with an assault rifle, and Tali in fits of laughter. "Should I ask?"

Miranda replied. "The badger came back."

"You mean the one he threw at me?"

"Oh for god's sake," Shepard shook his head. "C'mon Garrus, lets get some beer. At least the drink won't accuse me of anything."

"Thank the spirits for beer." Garrus nodded as the pair headed indoors. "And good to see you Mrs Shepard."

Hannah laughed at Garrus formal address of her, and Miranda found it quite comical too. "And you Garrus."

"John?" He turned at Miranda's call. "Did you get all the devices in?"

"Yeah, we were finishing the last one when we were attacked."

"Great," Miranda gave him a tender smile as he left, Tali following him inside as well. "Thanks."

"So how is my lovely grandchild?" Hannah questioned Miranda as she bent down by the paddling pool, giving Lizzie an extravagant kiss. "And how are you guys?"

"Great thanks," Miranda knelt down by Lizzie as well. "We're good."

"I see the new security measures are coming along well."

"Yeah," Miranda gave a wry smile. "Though it's not really a good thing that you saw them."

"Ha! Suppose it's only temporary though." Hannah paused. "Listen Miranda, you don't mind me calling around this often do you? I mean this is the second time I've been here this week."

"No, Lizzie loves seeing you," Miranda paused. "And I admit it's rather nice to have real family around, especially someone who's a bit..."

Hannah gave her a crooked smile. "A bit weird?"

"No, I meant..." Miranda struggled for the words, this wasn't something she had admitted to anyone other than John. "To have someone who's a bit like a mother figure, or a parent. I never had that."

"I'm chuffed that it's how you feel, I really am," Hannah smiled kindly. "And it's also good because living so close I can hardly stop myself from flying over!"

Miranda chuckled.

"I hear you're starting some work on the Citadel soon?"

"Yes, it's about time I get myself another project or two," Miranda smiled, she was looking forward to getting back into work. "I'm gonna be with some of the best medical minds in the galaxy, specifically looking at creating cures for the incurable diseases we still have."

"You sound excited."

"Oh I am, it's the kind of thing I relish – a real challenge. And the end results will be far more satisfying than most of my work for Cerberus," Miranda paused as she caught Shepard and Garrus duelling with a pair of bread sticks inside the house in the corner of her eye. A cocky grin spread over her face as she gave him a once over. "Mind you, John is a rather satisfying result."

"Ha!"


	20. Chapter 20

**2****nd**** September 2188 – Crucible pulse + 23 months**

"_Welcome to Citadel radio, our top story today – The Salarian Councillor Valern has officially resigned after the results of the investigation that began in June regarding his involvement in the attempted assassination of Councillor Shepard's family."_

"Yes!" Miranda let out an uncharacteristic whoop from the passenger seat of the shuttle, startling both Shepard – who she had, for once, allowed to fly the shuttle – and Elizabeth in her travel seat just behind them. "Though that's the least the bastard deserves."

"Shh," Shepard turned up the volume on the radio. "I wanna see if they say anything about me!"

"_For more on the story, we cross to our political affairs correspondent – David Evans."_

"_Thanks, yes we all remember the shocking news of Cerberus' attack on Miranda Lawson and her infant child – though luckily she managed to hold off the attack until Councillor Shepard could get back with Alliance forces in tow."_

"Clearly they recognised my heroic rescue Miri!"

Miranda turned back to him with a raised eyebrow. "I thought you wanted to listen?"

"_Until now we haven't known why the Salarian Councillor was implicated as the investigation was made in private, but the report published today has revealed that he was directly involved in luring Shepard away from his residency so that the attack could be initiated by Cerberus."_

Miranda rolled her eyes. "Will they get to the point."

"_It transpires that Councillor Valern's family was captured by Cerberus to force him to help their scheme, though this fact was highlighted in the report by Councillor Shepard himself. At Shepard's request criminal charges are not being brought to bare, however it is agreed that Councillor Valern cannot continue to serve on the Citadel Council. Ambassador Esheel of the Salarian Union is expected to be his replacement. We took to the streets to hear the public's opinion of the events."_

Miranda snorted. "This should be fun."

The first voice was clearly that of an Asari, feminine and rather dreamy.

"_Well I think that Valern should be imprisoned for what he did, after all Councillor Shepard is the saviour of the galaxy and any involvement with the attempted murder of his family is disgraceful."_

Then the Asari changed her tone and began to laugh.

"_Though it would have given other women a chance with him!"_

"What a bitch!" Miranda hissed. "How can she be allowed to say that crap?"

"C'mon, you know the media always pick the ridiculous people to interview," She watched as Shepard slowed the shuttle down as it began to approach the Citadel. "I think the last part was a joke, however."

The second voice was that of a man, a rather pompous tone of voice.

"_Councillor Shepard said that it should be taken into account that the Salarian Councillor had his family taken, maybe it is unfair that Valern is being punished because of the position he was forced into. After all, if Shepard thought that then we should follow his lead – look at all the times people criticised him and failed to listen when he was right."_

"Well there we go, I know best!"

"You think you do," Miranda smirked, turning the radio back down as Shepard piloted into the Presidium ring. "I'm the brains of it all really."

"Probably right there."

Miranda shook her head. "And I still think you're too supportive of him."

"What, of Valern?" Shepard sighed. "Look Miri, we've been through this. You have to take his situation into account."

"I still don't agree."

"I know you don't, and don't think I have forgotten what almost happened because of him," Shepard gave Miranda a wry smile. "But you know me."

"Yes, you always try and see the best in people," Miranda groaned, she had tried to broaden her perspectives, to adopt a similar opinion on her experiences as John. But she always found her old habits resurfacing, to be distrustful and wary to the majority of people she met. "I wish I could do that as effectively."

"Hey, you're picking this stuff up really well. We knew it wouldn't be easy," Shepard smiled reassuringly. "We are 'normalifying' you gradually."

"I suppose," Miranda gave him a raised eyebrow. "And that's still not a word."

After a few more minutes of flying Shepard slowed the shuttle as they approached the research and development area of Huerta Memorial. He set it on the ground carefully, turning to Miranda with a huge grin.

"Just because you landed a shuttle once doesn't mean you can be that cocky John!"

"It proves I can fly, contrary to popular belief," He chuckled as Miranda leaned in for a kiss. As he pulled back Shepard cupped Miranda's cheek carefully, fixing her with a loving gaze. "Are you ready for this?"

"Ready?" Miranda smiled. "I can't wait, honestly. I love spending all day with you and Lizzie, but I do want to get back into working. You know how I love a challenge."

Shepard nodded. "That you do."

"Are you gonna be OK with Lizzie on your own?"

Shepard shared a look with their daughter, she was grinning madly as she tried to pry off the restraints on her seat.

"We'll be fine."

"Then I better get going."

Miranda stood up and walked to the door of the shuttle, stooped to give Elizabeth a quick kiss on the forehead, and opened the door to hop out. Shepard followed, sharing another brief kiss with Miranda out the door.

"What time will you be finished?"

"Well as it's my first day, I may be late if I need to get anything sorted," Miranda paused for a second. "Probably about four, though you'll be done well before then."

"That doesn't matter, we can come and watch you work."

Miranda rolled her eyes. "Do I want you in my new, expensive, and rather high stake laboratories?"

"If I turn up then all you sciency types look more intelligent," Shepard winked at her, prompting a second eye roll. "But in all seriousness, can I ask a favour?"

"I all ready know what you're going to ask," Miranda ran a hand down his arm. "I've been told there is a wide portfolio of projects, if it's there then I'll start on it."

"Good," Shepard nodded. "Thanks."

"I guess I'll see you later," Miranda leaned forward to share one final kiss with him. "Love you."

"Love you too."

With that and a wave to Lizzie Miranda turned away from the shuttle, heading into the doors of the laboratory wing of Huerta. She headed over to the reception desk but before she got there a Salarian called her over.

"Miss Lawson."

She turned, recognising the alien immediately.

"Maelon!" She narrowed her eyes, Miranda had been one of the squad on the mission to rescue him on Tuchunka – and she had not forgotten what he had done.

"Yes," The Salarian cocked his head. "You are wondering why I'm here?"

"Just a little."

"Well I now work here, as a research scientist," Maelon smiled. "I have been doing so since the end of the war."

Miranda folded her arms. "I wasn't informed that Huerta condones brutal live testing."

"Ah, I imagined you'd bring that up. You should know that I regret ever having to use such barbaric methods, it was not my intention to do so," The Salarian's expression grew defiant. "But I am not sorry to have done the research, where would we be without the Krogan?"

"That is true, but from what I heard from Mordin the cure could have been done from scratch."

"That may be so, but I believe it would have been difficult," Maelon rested a long finger on his chin. "Professor Solus was a genius, but I doubt he would have been able to save any of the female Krogan without my data."

"Perhaps, I suppose we will never know," Miranda looked around, moving to leave the Salarian. "I have to get going now, it was...interesting...to see you again."

"Ah yes, I heard you start today," Maelon smiled once more. "I have recently been transferred to your department, I will be working directly under you as part of your team."

"Well, by recent you must mean in the last two hours – you weren't on the staff list this morning."

Maelon nodded. "Yes, it was only confirmed just after lunch."

"You know where to go then?" Maelon nodded in reply. "Then I guess you can show me to my office."

Miranda gestured for Maelon to lead ahead, they only stopped to key in her DNA at the reception desk and to pick up an ID tag. They ascended several flights of stairs as Maelon pointed out different areas and departments of the various research labs. Soon they passed through a set of double doors marked 'Advanced research and development' and into a long, open corridor with lots of doors off to each side.

"This is your department Miss Lawson."

"Actually, it's Doctor Lawson." Miranda corrected the Salarian.

"Of course, Doctor Lawson."

Miranda headed over to one door on her right, marked with her name on a brass plate. She was about to go in when she turned at the sound of chattering from the main doors they had just passed through. A group of fifteen people had entered, a variety of Humans, Salarians, Asari, Turian, and even an Elcor. Miranda knew everyone of these people, with the exception of Maelon, they had all been on the detailed staff roster. Miranda had memorised the entire backdrop and history of each of the staff, she knew all of their qualifications and achievements. They were all experts in their various fields, the best minds the galaxy had to offer. In a way, they were the medical equivalent of Shepard's squad.

The chatter immediately cut off as the group noticed her presence. As she knew all about them, so did they also know a lot of her experience. They had all been told that she had worked with Cerberus for many years, as many things other than a scientist. As a scientist, they had been told that she had achieved the impossible – beating death. Miranda wasn't sure if they had been told of her ruthless and cold nature however, and she had spent a great deal over the last few weeks of time thinking about how to present herself to her staff. She didn't want to be that cold and harsh person any more, it wasn't as engrained in her nature to be like that any more. She wanted to find a balance, to be far more approachable and encouraging whilst retaining the efficiency and control she had always possessed.

"Good morning everyone," Miranda placed her hands behind her back, straightening her posture, and taking two clipped steps forward. "I'm Miranda Lawson, as you know I have been asked to lead this research unit to find cures or solutions to some of the most challenging and destructive diseases that we have in the galaxy. In essence – to achieve what is considered the medically impossible."

Miranda paused, letting her words sink in.

"I have read your files and am very impressed by your skills in your chosen areas, I look forward to working with a talented group of people," She made sure to give them a smile before continuing. "I hope to be able to bring all of that talent and ability together into outstanding results, but for that I need your absolute best – which I am sure you'll give to me."

There was a moment of silence before one of the doctors stepped forwards, a human of Chinese origin – Doctor Mae Lu.

"It's an honour to meet you Doctor Lawson," The young woman smiled enthusiastically. "We can't wait to be working with you."

"Thank you," Miranda noticed the pile of data-pads in Lu's arms. "What have you got there?"

"These are the first cases that have been forwarded to our department from the hospital."

Miranda took the data-pad and began to flick through the list of patients and conditions. It wasn't long before she found what she was looking for.

"We'll start with this, Shepard asked me if we could – a good friend of ours suffered from it," Miranda handed it back to Lu as the entire team began to inspect her choice. "Kepral's Syndrome."

Miranda began to walk away from the group to her office, though she stopped and turned in the doorway.

"By the way, this here is Maelon – he has just been transferred to us," Miranda smiled. "Everyone take half an hour to get themselves organised, we have a brainstorming session in the conference room in thirty five minutes."

XXXXXXXX

"Lizzie!" Shepard grabbed the escaping child as she attempted to crawl off his lap and onto the table. "Sit still!"

Elizabeth had started crawling in the past few weeks, and she was a nightmare to deal with now. Not because she was naughty, or even because she was careless, but because she was so curious. If she saw anything she wanted to investigate, then she would investigate most closely. She was incredibly quick when at peak crawling speeds and was rather skill full at climbing and even making the occasional leap. The problem came with how quick she was able to sneak off, he had taken his eye off her for literally a second earlier that morning and she had cleared half his office towards the fish tank before he got to her. All of this meant that he hadn't exactly done much work, it was rather tricky to type whilst trying to keep her still in his lap.

The buzzer on the side of his desk made a noise that startled both of them, Shepard pressing one hand onto it. The voice of Shayla, his assistant, sounded over the comms.

"Councillor, Admiral Hackett is here to speak with you."

"Hackett?" Shepard was surprised, the Admiral hadn't mentioned of coming to see him. "Send him in."

A few seconds later and the door whooshed open, the Admiral striding into the room.

"Councillor."

"Hackett," Shepard stood up and transferred Lizzie to one arm to walk over and shake Hackett's hand. "Nice to see you."

"You too," Hackett looked down at Elizabeth in Shepard's arms with a kind smile. "And it's nice to see Elizabeth, she looks like she's doing well."

"Oh yeah, she's great," Shepard ruffled the mop of raven black, as he called it, 'Miranda hair' on her head. "Though she's at the crazy crawling stage."

Hackett smirked. "So she's a handful then?"

"Sometimes, I don't usually have her here but Miranda's started to work at Huerta in R and D," Shepard grinned. "And mother has gotten herself a date so she couldn't have her."

"A date?" Hackett looked up in surprise, though Shepard was sure he saw a glint of disappointment in the older man's slate eyes, as if Hackett was a little jealous. Shepard decided to pursue that possibility, he had always loved causing mischief by setting people up together. He had resulted in James and Ashley, Joker and EDI, Garrus and Tali, even Liara and Javik, after all.

"Though I'm pretty sure she's just getting herself back on the market, so to speak," Shepard grinned. "She appreciates a night out in a fancy restaurant, but she's much happier with a shooting range and a six pack of beer."

"I can imagine."

Shepard nodded enthusiastically, giving the Admiral a knowing look. Hackett raised an eyebrow.

"Where exactly are you heading with this Councillor?"

"I'm just saying, my mother is looking for a partner, I would rather it be someone who is more similar to her," Shepard winked. "Perhaps someone who has worked with her?"

"Shepard, just because you now outrank me doesn't mean you can be this embarrassing,"Hackett frowned. "And I have no plans on your mother, and I'm not even sure she would be interested."

"Ih, I think she would be..." Shepard left the statement hanging as he moved back over to his desk. "Now what can I help you with?"

"Ah, yes. There was a raid on an Alliance facility yesterday," Hackett followed him a placed a data-pad on the desk. "It's serious."

"Lets have a look at..." Shepard stopped as Lizzie tried to escape from his grasp once more. This time she even actually tried to leap straight onto the desk, and he sighed as he regained control. "Do you mind if we sit on the sofas by the fish tank? That's where she's trying to get."

"Not at all," They walked to the other side of the room, settling on either side of the coffee table as Hackett chuckled. "She seems to have picked up your habits, what with liking the fish."

"Yeah, she's obsessed with them. We have another tank like this at home and she can sit there in front of it for hours," Shepard placed her to his right so that she had a clear view of the tank, immediately her gaze was on the snapping eel that sauntered past them at the front of the glass. "So, you were saying?"

"Yes, the raid. It was enacted by the Blue Suns, they killed a few dozen Alliance troops, a lot of which were spec ops. They nicked some equipment and escaped, we haven't been able to trace them so far."

"Special ops troops were guarding it?" Shepard raised an eyebrow. "What kind of equipment was it exactly?"

"The facility was a re purposed Cerberus base, a science laboratory," Hackett paused. "It was the lab where they grew and stored your clone."

"My clone?" Shepard was genuinely surprised. "That's interesting, what exactly did the Blue Suns nick?"

"All the cloning equipment that we were studying."

"Ah," Shepard sighed as he perused through the list of missing equipment. "Why would they want that stuff?"

"We don't know, but that's where we were hoping you could help us."

Shepard immediately shook his head. "Admiral, last time I got involved in..."

"I know Councillor," Hackett interrupted him. "We don't want anything happening to you, not like last time."

"Then how can I help?"

"You have a...friendlier...relationship with Aria T'Loak than most of our staff, and our intel states that she runs the Blue Suns now."

"Yeah, and the Blood Pack and Eclipse too as a matter of fact," Shepard paused. "You want me to ask if she ordered the attack?"

"If you please," Hackett stood up. "I'm sorry Councillor, I have to shift. If you can let me know how it goes I would appreciate it."

"Sure thing," As Hackett left Shepard looked back down at the data-pad, then looking over to Lizzie. "Suppose there's no time like the present eh?"

He headed over to the QEC in the middle of the room, keeping one eye on Elizabeth, and connected to Aria's QEC in Afterlife. A few seconds passed before she answered, her form coming into view clad in her usual outfit.

She spoke first, her usual cocky grin fixed in place. "Shepard, always a pleasure."

"Likewise Aria."

"I can see your little girl over there Shepard, She really does look like her mother," Aria pointed over at Lizzie on the sofa. "You know we hear about her all the time, not even a week can go by without the media doing some overage about your family. Even on Omega there were celebrations when she was born."

"I know, it's embarrassing really," Shepard knew all to well about the ridiculous media hype over his families private life. Too say it was over the top was an understatement, he had been trying to avoid becoming a celebrity – for Miranda's and Lizzie's sake as much as his. "There were even street parties on Earth."

"That's just sad."

"I know," Shepard shook his head before continuing. "Anyway, I have a question for you."

"Shoot."

"Did you order your Blue Suns to hit an Alliance facility yesterday and nick a whole bunch of cloning equipment?"

"Well that was subtle, lets see..." Aria folded her arms, giving him a sneer. "No."

"Are you sure?"

She replied sarcastically. "Oh let me see, I'll just admit to ordering a strike against the Alliance."

"In that case I'll get a Council fleet sent over," Shepard played along with her. "Get some Krogan commandos to pick you up."

"Yeah sure," Aria laughed bitterly. "Then you have a war with the Terminus systems..."

"...Which have reduced by half as they were so desperate for Council aid in rebuilding," Shepard grinned. "We could take Omega with ease if the Council ordered it."

"Maybe, maybe not," Aria repositioned herself, flaunting her body at him with an innocent expression. "But why wouldn't you bring that macho muscle of yours over and pick me up yourself?"

"Look, did you do it or not?"

"No, I promise you I did not order it," Aria shook her head defiantly. "However, I can't promise it wasn't some of the men in my employ. You know how fickle mercs can be, bands of them do jobs on the side all of the time."

"Right."

"I will look into it though, I don't want to be seen to allow my men to defect without reprisals," Aria gave him a quizzical look. "And why would I want cloning tech any way? Nothing good ever comes out of that kind of thing."

Shepard quipped back. "An army of mini Arias?"

"Yes, I can see that," She laughed in return. "I'll be going now, though remember – that offer I made a while back still stands."

Shepard rolled his eyes. "Look Aria, I'm not going to sleep with you OK? By rights I should hate you but surprisingly you've grown on me, however Miranda wouldn't really appreciate it."

"I never said she couldn't bring that perfect body of hers along as well," Aria grinned as she leaned forward to terminate the connection. "Let me know if you're ever passing by."

XXXXXXXX

Shepard slowly pushed the door of Miranda's new office open, peeking around the corner with Elizabeth in her carry chair. Miranda was seated behind her desk, typing furiously on her terminal. She was clad in a lab coat, though it was a rather normal one – not like the old combat armour, lab coat, catsuit crossover that she used to wear. Shepard grinned, he liked that outfit.

"Can we come in?"

"Oh, hey you two!" Miranda jumped up from behind her desk, rushing around to grab Shepard into a big hug. She kissed him on the lips before ducking down to kiss Elizabeth.

Shepard grinned. "Wow, someone missed us."

"Yeah, you have no idea how strange it is," Miranda stood back up, straightening her hair carefully. She flashed him a smile. "But it's been a brilliant day. It's fantastic, the set-up here, I mean."

"How are the staff?"

"As their files said, they're very very intelligent. The best, at what they do."

"I mean how are they to work with, not just their records."

"Brilliant. They all seem to co-operate together, and they're all open to a variety of different ideas about how to get things done," Miranda walked back over to the desk. "And they listen to me very well, and not because they're scared of me. They respect me, I'm hoping that they perhaps even like me."

Shepard sat down on one of the chairs, placing Elizabeth next to him. "That's great Miri."

"However, turns out we have a new member of the team," Miranda turned around with a slightly anxious expression. "Maelon, he was transferred this morning."

"Maelon?" Shepard blinked in surprise. "You mean Maelon, as in Mordin's student?"

"Yes."

"I see." Shepard frowned, he had no liking for the Salarian. He remembered the grisly scenes that he had encountered with Mordin, Miranda, and Garrus on Tuchunka, and he was sickened by it. He understood Maelon's intentions, in fact he had thoroughly agreed with a genophage cure even before he became a SPECTRE and met Wrex. But Shepard thought there was always a right way and a wrong way to go about even the most noble of causes. Maelon's way had been wrong, and Shepard had only saved his research data on the off chance it could be used one day. Luckily, that had indeed been the correct choice.

Miranda noticed his reverie. "Are you all right with that?"

"With what?"

Miranda rolled her eyes. "Citadel to Shepard, I mean Maelon."

"Well if he's a good researcher, and Mordin said he was, then I suppose it's good that he's working here," Shepard paused. "And I'm guessing that you're going to keep him in check."

"Most definitely, I'm not having barbaric experiments in my department," Miranda grinned. "I like that – my department."

"Got anything nice and challenging to work on? I mean, you'll have to find something that stands up to curing death."

"We're starting off with Kepral's Syndrome."

Shepard couldn't help but smile, he hoped that Thane would have been happy with that. He owed a lot to the Drell, and had been surprised to find such a great and loyal friend in an assassin. Kolyat would be pleased as well, and Shepard made a mental note to inform the young Drell of the decision.

"Thank you, Thane would have liked this."

"And how was your day?" Miranda turned around with a grin. "Lizzie wasn't too much trouble was she?"

"Tried to make several great escapes, but that was about it," Shepard paused. "Hackett stopped by."

"Oh?" Miranda raised an eyebrow. "What did he want?"

"The Blue Suns attacked a Cerberus facility that is being looked after by the Alliance. They nicked all the stuff that Cerberus used to make that clone of me."

"The cloning equipment? Why would mercs want that? Suppose it's possible that they want to make themselves an army or something but..." Miranda paused her theorising. "What has he asked you to do? After last time, you're not getting involved in investigations."

"Don't worry, honestly," Shepard gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder. "He just wanted me to talk to Aria, see if she ordered it or if they were defectors."

"That's OK then," Miranda moved around to her desk, pressing several buttons on the terminal. "I'm just shutting it down, then I'm ready to go."

"Great, also – I've had an idea."

Miranda quipped back in return as she closed the draws of her desk. "Oh no."

"I think we should go on a holiday."

"A holiday?" Miranda frowned. "I've only done one day at work so far!"

"I didn't mean right now, I meant in a bit. Maybe a few months?"

"I suppose so, but I still think Lizzie is too young to be in a completely foreign place," Miranda stopped to correct herself. "I mean, I know she's been on the Citadel loads but only in the Presidium which is kept very clean. If we went to a completely alien world there's all sorts of bacteria that her system won't be very used to. If we wait till after Christmas, when she's over a year old..."

Shepard rolled his eyes this time, picking up Elizabeth and opening the door. "C'mon Miss fussy."

"That's not fair," Miranda chided him playfully. "I'm just being cautious."

"Yeah yeah," Shepard winked as they left the office. "You're just too much of a workaholic!"

"Not funny."

"Though I prefer your old lab coat."

"You mean the catsuit?" Miranda leaned in closer, whispering alluringly. "I'm sure we can dig it out the draw every now and then."


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N I was originally gonna place another chapter here, but this idea just popped into my head so here we go. Getting the flow in this chapter was quite tricky, not so sure I got it perfect so I may redo some of it – we'll see...**

**4****th**** December 2188 – Crucible pulse + 2 years and 3 months**

"You're really taking your time Miri."

Miranda shook her head at him as she bent down and grabbed a brown handbag that matched perfectly with her favourite chocolate coloured leather jacket and shin high boots. Shepard gave a sneaky peek to her behind that was clad in skin tight jeans, grinning smugly. Miranda noticed his glance and shook her head a second time.

"Well you don't seem to mind that," Miranda straightened up to look in the mirror, tousling her hair into a satisfying position. "And I always have to look good."

"You're going shopping with my mother and your sister, I don't think they mind," Shepard grinned. "Besides, you always look mind blowingly gorgeous."

"Flatterer." Miranda slung her arms into the jacket as she began to head out of the bedroom and down the stairs, Shepard following behind her.

"So, are you buying me a Christmas present today?"

"That would be telling." Miranda looked back at him with a wink as she swung around the bannister – covered in holly wreaths – on to the first floor landing.

"So that's a yes?" Shepard sped up, coming up behind and wrapping arms around her waist to slow her descent. He pressed a couple of kisses to her neck, getting a rare giggle out of Miranda. She soon stopped laughing as she noticed the knowing stares from Hannah and Oriana, who was carrying Elizabeth, in the hallway, her face flushing with embarrassment.

"John, stop it!"

That was when he looked up, though unlike Miranda he wasn't remotely embarrassed. "Sorry."

"Oh, don't mind us," Oriana jiggled Elizabeth in her arms with a mischievous grin. "We'll watch the show."

"No you won't," Miranda crossed her arms defiantly. "Ori, I'm getting concerned about just how cheeky you're becoming, especially with certain topics."

"You mean your sex life? Ha!" Oriana let out a short bark of laughter. "Good one Randa."

"Glad you think that's amusing," Miranda shook her head as she took Elizabeth out of Oriana's arms, smiling happily. "Now Lizzie, make sure daddy doesn't misbehave."

Elizabeth grinned and giggled loudly, prompting smiles from everyone.

"Nawr, she's just so cute," Oriana cooed. "But when is she gonna start talking?"

"Hopefully not for a while," Shepard joked. "Once she starts talking, she starts talking back."

"That's a downright lie, you said the other day that you wanted to hear her talk!" Miranda rolled her eyes before turning to Oriana. "And by the way, you didn't start talking until you were eleven months old Oriana."

Both of Oriana's eyebrows shot up. "You were monitoring me that closely?"

Miranda's face flushed bright red once more, betraying the answer.

"Well, I've heard that babies that learn to speak later learn much quicker," Hannah shrugged mid point. "Of course I don't know for certain."

"There is some truth in that," Miranda recovered from her embarrassment. "Oriana didn't begin until later on, but she knew at least twenty different words after only a month."

"Oh, John was the opposite," Now it was Shepard's turn to blush at his mother's words. "He started really early on, about six months old, but he didn't know any words except one until several months later."

"I'm curious," Miranda raised an eyebrow tenuously. "What was the word?"

"Gun."

After a second of silence the two Lawson sisters broke out into fits of laughter, Hannah joining in as well. Shepard shook his head as he took Elizabeth off Miranda, not finding it so funny. After the women had begun to calm down he decided to speak.

"It isn't that funny, I remember liking the feeling of it rolling off my tongue."

All three women looked at each other for a second before bursting out into laughter again.

"Right, if you're going shopping I suggest just going." Shepard headed over to the door, giving them a disapproving look. They walked over to him, all gathering jackets and coats with grins. His mother clapped him on the shoulder as she headed out into the snow, followed by Oriana who gave him a smile and a wave, and lastly Miranda who gave a quick kiss to him. He watched them get into the skycar and fly off through the front door, before heading around to the living room by the Christmas tree to watch the vehicle disappear off to the rough direction of Milan.

When they were out of sight he raised a hand to his ear, activating his comm with a grin.

"We are a go."

XXXXXXXX

Shepard opened the door to let the cluster of people outside in from the freezing cold. The first to pass through the door was Zaeed, the veteran mercenary walking in with a large, snow covered box in his arms. He nodded at Shepard as he passed.

"Shepard."

"Zaeed, good to see you," He was followed by engineers Donnelly and Daniels, both pulling off thick coats. "Ken, Gabby."

"Hey Shepard," Gabby smiled kindly whilst jerking a thumb at Ken. "He's got something for you."

"Aye, that I do," Ken passed Shepard a large dusty bottle, filled with an amber liquid. "Pure Scotch whiskey, matured for thirty four years. Should be a cracker."

"Looks good, we'll have it today," Shepard turned to the next person in line who was dusting snow off his jacket as well. "Joker, how's it going?"

"I'm cool, though not as cool as this place," Jeff shook his head, gesturing extravagantly. "I bet it's lovely in summer, but I'm freezing my you know whats off."

"Just what I wanted to hear," Ashley dead-panned as she followed him in. "Real charming."

"Hey, that's me," Jeff headed on into the house, recoiling slightly as Legion made his presence known by bounding into the hallway. "Jesus Christ, that bloody dog scares the crap out of me."

"Whys that?" Jack laughed bitterly as she and James Vega brought up the rear, Shepard closing the door behind them. "Scared it's drooling will drown you?"

"Hey, the volume of drool that thing produces could cover Tuchunka in an ocean!"

"Stop being mean to my dog!" Shepard cut them off, clapping both Jack and James on their shoulders. "It's not his fault, that's just how he is, how he was born and raised. As with people, you shouldn't judge him on how he was born, on what's natural to him."

"Oh here we go, you're starting the emotional crap all ready," Jack looked at him with a lopsided grin. "When does he get recruited onto the Normandy squad then?"

Shepard took on a bemused expression. "Says the person who has a veteran naturally biotic Varren."

They headed into the dining area of the kitchen where Zaeed had all ready begun to prepare the table. He had a green felt sheet that was inside the box, now covering the table neatly. In the middle was a metal briefcase, full of old glass Poker chips. The set was Zaeed's old favourite, a rather unique set from the 20th Century. They all drew up chairs around as Zaeed begun to separate the chips into even piles, passing them around the table. Shepard pulled out a set of eight tumblers, also a rather fancy group of antiques, setting them down in front of Ken who proceeded to fill them up with the Scotch.

Jeff took his whiskey from Ken whilst looking over at Zaeed. "Right, how high are the stakes today?"

"Well, as you know, normally I like to play rather high stakes but..." Zaeed turned to glare around at Shepard, jerking a thumb at him. "He's here, and Shepard'll just clean us out as always."

Shepard grinned, he did have a knack for poker after all. He had spent many an evening cleaning out both the Cerberus and Alliance crews of the SR-2, to the great annoyance of his crew. Most people refused to play a high stakes game against him, mainly because he would claim all of their money. Usually no one played with more than a couple of thousand credits against him, though there had been one exception.

A couple of weeks after he had first gotten together with Miranda on the SR-2 she had decided to actually participate in a game, much to the amazement of the crew. The, at the time, secret couple had duelled for twenty thousand credits, and Miranda had totally destroyed him with, not one, but two Royal Flushes. In a row. It shocked everyone, though she had never played since.

"We'll have to get the Princess back to clean him out later on then," Jack rolled her eyes. "Zaeed, just get about twenty thousand creds worth for everyone. It's about reasonable."

Shepard shook his head. "Uch, it'll be a quick evening then."

"Well, I'm not prepared to lose hundreds of thousands of credits Loco," Vega took a sip of his whisky. "Not all of us are fat cat rich like you."

"I've got a better idea then," Shepard leaned his elbows on the table, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "All of us have one hundred thousand creds worth of chips, but don't actually bet those amounts. We'll make a pot, ten thousand each, and the winner takes all at the end of the night."

"That sounds fair," Ashley nodded. "We get a long proper night of poker without giving you another million credits. Plus I can actually afford to drop ten grand."

"Yeah, yeah. That's sounds fine," Zaeed cut across them as he began to sort out more chips from the set. "Christ, it's like a fucking Council meeting all ready – all this debating and crap."

"Yeah, next thing Shepard's gonna claim that anyone who beats him has a hand that doesn't exist," Jeff chuckled, pausing to catch his breath. "I'll get a Royal Flush and he'll be like – Royal Flush? That thing that defeats anything else? There's no proof of it, he'll dismiss the claim!."

"Just shut up Joker," Shepard grinned. "Just because I'm in charge of you all."

"Yes, but originally you were on the right track. Each job you had was more and more respectable," Jeff rolled his eyes as he downed the rest of his whiskey. "First you were a soldier, then a SPECTRE, then a vigilante hero, and finally a commander of the galaxies armies. And then you threw it away, becoming a politician."

Shepard furrowed his brows as he excepted the new piles of chips from Zaeed. "What's wrong with that?"

"Politicians, what did you say about them?" The pilot put on an expression of mock thoughtfulness. "Ah, that's it. Selfish know it alls that care about nothing but their own race. They never listen to anyone with any sense and are the most self indulged beings in the Galaxy behind Asari business women and gang crime lords."

"I actually have some new found respect for them since joining, there is a hell of a workload," Shepard was serious as he explained to them. "And the responsibility is huge."

"Yeah you lot order us out to destroy a Cerberus facility here, or a merc base there," James rolled his eyes. "But surely you'd rather be out there doing it?"

"We've been through this before," Shepard gave him a stern look. "Not any more."

"That's understandable," Ashley took a swig of whiskey before changing the subject. "By the way, mentioning mercs, what's all this about the Blue Suns? Hackett keeps sending us off after them."

"They stole the equipment Cerberus used to make that clone of mine," There was a series of muttered curses around the table at this. "Oh come on guys, I hardly think the Blue Suns are gonna make a clone of me."

"No, but they might make a whole fucking army of you," Jack laughed. "That would be a..."

"Look, are we gonna play poker or not?" Zaeed's growl interrupted Jack. "It's turning into a god damn fucking Council meeting."

"Right." Shepard grinned as the veteran started handing out the cards. He had to fight to contain the grin as he received his hand – pocket aces weren't a bad way to start the evening.

XXXXXXXX

"Ow, come on!" A rather drunk Ashley swore loudly as Shepard collected yet another pile of chips. His winnings were growing with almost every other hand, as per usual, and every time he won only made his opponents more vocal of their disappointment. He was about to retort when a wailing came from his omni-tool, causing everyone to jump.

"Oops, better go and sort Lizzie out." Shepard rose from his chair, hurrying out of the room and upstairs quickly. He was pretty sure that he caught Jack muttering something about him being whipped as he headed upstairs, though he ignored the jab.

Entering her bedroom he headed straight over to her cot, scooping the crying and fidgeting, almost, one year old off the mattress. He placed her in his arms and bounced her several times, talking soothingly to her. As he did this he walked around her bedroom, looking around them. They had settled on creating what Miranda had called a neutral colour scheme when they had moved Elizabeth into her own room a few months back, consisting of a variety of cream and vanilla shades on the walls with matching furniture. Shepard had agreed with the decision, though mainly from his lack of desire to have a bright pink room in the house than from a knowledge of interior decorating.

Soon Elizabeth settled down, heading back off to sleep. It wasn't often that she cried, and usually it wasn't for feeding or changing as Miranda had devised an almost clockwork routine for her. Lizzie's cries were usually just for attention, for someone to make a fuss of her. He placed her carefully back down in her cot, quietly creeping away. He almost made it to the door, but the crying started up again.

"All right, all right," He walked back over to the cot, picking Elizabeth back up again. "You want to be the centre of attention don't you? Come on then."

He rolled his eyes as he carried her out of the room, heading back downstairs to the dining room. As he entered, Lizzie was greeted by a series of smiles and ahhs, before Shepard was greeted by a series of grins. He looked down at the table, nearly all of his hard won chips were gone.

"Oh, very funny guys," Shepard gave them a disapproving glare. "Chips back, now!"

"Lets see about that," Jeff put on an exaggerated look of consideration. "Maybe you can win them back?"

"Maybe I will then," Shepard pulled Elizabeth's high chair next to his own seat, looking down at the almost worthless pile in front of him. "Zaeed, deal. I've got work to do."

The merc dealt out the cards to everyone before placing five down in the centre of the table. Shepard checked his hand, a ten and a Queen of hearts. Ken and Gabby were on blinds this round, and they placed two and one white chips on the table respectively. Everyone else matched their bets, the chips going into the pile in the centre before Zaeed flipped over the first three cards – a Jack of hearts, two of spades, and seven of clubs. Shepard kept his face straight.

The next round of betting consisted of everyone checking, no one put any more chips down. Zaeed turned over the penultimate card, showing it to be a King of hearts. Again Shepard kept his poker face on, not betraying the buzz that had began in his mind. Vega placed a bet down that was bigger than what Shepard had left in his entire pile, meaning that he would have to go all in on the hand. It was a bit of a risk, if the last card wasn't at least heart then he didn't have a hand at all. If it was a nine of hearts it was a straight flush, and an ace of hearts would be a royal flush.

"Someone's gonna have a flush, maybe even a straight flush. Or even possibly a royal flush," Vega grinned as he moved his bet into the middle of the table. "Loco, are you all in?"

"Hmm," Shepard cocked his head to consider. He raised his cards to show them to Lizzie, grabbing her attention. "What do you think Lizzie? All in? I can't exactly raise can I?"

He was about to move his chips into the middle when a high pitch, squeaky voice stopped him.

"All in..."

Shepard slowly turned his head to face his daughter, an amazed expression on his face.

"Lizzie, did you just speak?"

"All...all in," Lizzie grinned at him before banging her hands down on the table of the high chair. "Wraise."

"You spoke?" Shepard picked Elizabeth up out of the high chair, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead before placing her on his knee. He fixed her with a concentrated gaze. "Can you say daddy?"

There was a pause as she opened and closed her mouth several times, making a clucking sound, before trying to speak again. "Wraise, all...all in?"

"Well, she's not much help to you is she?" Ashley managed to get out a sentence in-between snorts of laughter, like everyone else around the table.

"Shh Ash," Shepard watched Elizabeth intently still. "Lizzie, say daddy."

"Wraise!" She shouted back at him, still with a massive grin.

"Hmm, we'll have to work on it," Shepard opened up his omni-tool, establishing a comm link to Miranda. He looked around him at the others, giving them an apologetic look. "Sorry guys, I have to tell Miranda."

"No that's fine, go ahead." James replied as he slowly moved closer, Shepard wondering what he was doing. He realised just in time, the marine was lunging for Shepard's cards out on the table. Shepard managed to grab them without losing Lizzie off his lap, grabbing the cards and placing them in a pocket with a grin.

"Nice try James..." Shepard paused as Miranda's face appeared on the screen on his omni-tool. "Hey Miri."

"Hey, something up?"

"Yeah, just watch this. You won't believe it," Shepard picked Lizzie up, turning her towards the screen. "Lizzie, are you going to speak for mummy?"

The almost one year old looked up at him with her deep blue eyes, a questioning gaze meeting his own. He smiled encouragingly, inclining his head towards the screen. Elizabeth turned her head back to the image of Miranda, who had now been joined by Oriana and Hannah. She paused before speaking in a questioning tone.

"Wraise?"

"Wow, she spoke!" Miranda's face was filled with a huge smile, mirrored on the faces of the other women with her. "Though, we're gonna have to teach her her R's and...wait a second.."

"What?"

Miranda raised an eyebrow. "Are you playing poker?"

Shepard paused before replying, with a little trepidation. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, she said raise – that would be for poker. And also, looked behind you." Shepard did just that, turning around to see the table in front of him and all the surrounding players reflected in the mirror in the hallway.

"Ah, yes. About that.."

"John, I don't begrudge you having some fun – enjoy yourself," Miranda smiled at him. "Just don't drink too much whiskey, you snore really badly if you do."

"Yes Miranda," There was a chorus of sniggers around the table which Shepard replied to with a glare. "I'll see you later."

"Yeah, I can't wait to get back now!" Miranda couldn't keep the grin off her face. "I'll see you both later."

"You gonna say bye Lizzie?"

Elizabeth looked back up to him before turning back to the screen. "All...wraise."

"That's a new one," Miranda gave him a wink. "Love you."

"Love you too," Shepard shut off the feed to a table of grins. "What?"

Jack sneered at him. "Fucking whipped, I tell you."

"Oi, watch your language," Shepard placed his hands over Elizabeth's ears. "Don't want anyone starting up bad habits."

"Yeah, but more importantly..." Zaeed slammed his glass back down on the table, jabbing a finger at Shepard. "Are you in?"

"Yes, all in."

"Right," Zaeed flipped over the final card, revealing an Ace of hearts. "Oh god, someone's definitely got the flush."

Ken chuckled. "Anyone got any last bets?"

Jack nodded. "Yeah, four thousand."

"I'll match," James grinned. "So it's me, Loco, and Tats in then? What about you Scotty?"

"Aye, I'm matching," Ken moved his chips into the centre too, alongside the pile. "Jack you raised last, show your cards."

"Three of a kind Jacks."

There was a series of chuckles around the table.

"Well that's appropriate Tats," James grinned, placing his cards down. "But I've got three of a kind King's, sorry about that."

"Well, I'm sorry to both of you," Ken gave them all a wink as he placed down a pair of aces. "Three of a kind aces, someone was dealing very, very well!"

There was a series of exhalations around the table.

"Now Councillor," Ken moved his hands over the pot in the middle of the table. "Will I be taking this pile?"

Shepard placed his cards down on the table, a series of gasps and curses ran around the audience.

"Royal flush," He paused before scooping the pile towards him. "Thank you people."

"Oh just..." Jack paused. "Fuc...fudge it."

XXXXXXX

Shepard glanced around the sitting room where almost everyone had migrated to, all eventually having lost their money to him. Zaeed was sharing one of his war stories with Vega and Jack whilst Ken, Gabby, and Joker were having an in depth discussion about recent upgrades to the Normandy. He had put Elizabeth to bed a few hours earlier.

Shepard noticed that Ashley was no where in sight so he headed out of the room, looking for the SPECTRE throughout the downstairs. He found her, though she was outside the house, leaning against a tree not far from the front door whilst staring over across the lake in the pitch black of the night. Shepard approached her slowly, his feet crunching the snow underneath.

"Hey Ash."

"Oh, Shepard," Ashley turned around, giving him a weak smile. "Didn't see you there."

"You OK? It's pretty cold out here." That was an understatement, it was absolutely freezing.

"I'm fine," She shrugged. "Maybe had a little too much to drink, needed some air."

"Ah, I see." Shepard followed her gaze out across the lake. They stood in silence for a few moments, until Ashley broke it.

"I always get jealous whenever I come here."

"Really?"

"Yeah, it's so tranquil. Peaceful," She sighed. "I definitely want a place like this."

"You're not seriously thinking of retiring?"

"Oh god no, not just yet," She chuckled. "Unlike you I haven't saved the galaxy enough times to warrant as lucrative a retirement package."

"You know you've been instrumental in saving the galaxy twice right? I couldn't have done anything without any of you guys."

"Aye that's right, I helped. Twice," He noticed the expression on Ashley's face change to a rather more bitter one, her tone changing too. "But not three times eh?"

"Jesus Ash," Shepard pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing audibly. "How many times, get over Horizon! It's a closed issue, a ridiculous one on both sides."

"I know, I know," She shook her head. "When I drink I get a little more dour about things, in truth I am over it."

"Well then, why bring it up?"

"Because...well..." This time Ashley sighed. "It doesn't matter."

"It does," Shepard lightly touched her arm, turning her to look at him with the subtle gesture. "You're one of my closest friends, I care."

"It's stupid, really." She protested.

"It can't be as stupid as the crap James comes out with, I listen to that," Ashley chuckled lightly. "So out with it SPECTRE, Councillor's orders!"

"It's just that..." Ashley scratched the back of her neck awkwardly, mirroring Shepard's usual nervous stance. "Whenever I'm here, whenever I see you and Miranda in this house, with Elizabeth and everything, I can't help but wonder if we could ever have had something like this – me and you."

"Ah..." Shepard paused, not quite sure of what to say. He couldn't quite believe Ashley still had these unresolved issues, even after several years. "Look Ash..."

She interrupted him. "I know what you're going to say."

"Really? Do you?" Shepard rolled his eyes. "Listen. What we had was great, you were very special to me and you still are as a friend, but with me and Miranda...It's not the same. It's something more..."

"It's true love." Ashley finished his sentence with a nod. "I know, anyone can tell from how you two are together. And don't think I want to try anything again, you know I am over us."

He frowned. "It still doesn't appear that way."

"No, I am," Ashley nodded defiantly. "It's just that I sometimes wonder, in the same way that I wonder about what would have happened if you hadn't talked me down on the Citadel, or if we hadn't of stopped the Reapers. It's just speculation."

"Good," Shepard gave her a kind smile. "Cause I don't want you suffering over closed wounds, I want you to get on with your own life."

"Aye, find a man of my own right?"

"Exactly," Shepard gave her a wink as he noticed a skycar approaching in the corner of his eye. "Though I want to do a background check on any guys you pick up, not just anybody dates my crewmates!"

She laughed. "Oh God..."

"C'mere you," He puller her in for a friendly hug, patting her on the back. "Ash, if you ever do want to talk about things..."

"I know," Ashley smiled at him as she pulled back. "Thanks Shepard."

"Caught in the act John," Both turned their heads towards the Australian accent as Miranda approached with a grin, Oriana and Hannah following behind. Miranda reached Shepard and threw her arms around him, pressing a smouldering kiss to his lips. She pulled back with a cheeky grin, Shepard knew exactly what she was doing. "Naughty naughty."

"Hi Miranda," Ashley managed a genuinely friendly smile towards Miranda. "I better go inside and round my lot up, Normandy ships out early tomorrow."

"Right, we'll be in in a bit," Ashley nodded as she walked away from them, Shepard turning to Miranda who still had hands wrapped around his neck. He gave her a raised eyebrow. "Was that really necessary?"

She gave him a coy look. "Was what really necessary?"

"You know full well what," He rolled his eyes. "It was just a friendly hug."

"I know that, I merely missed you and so wanted to give you a nice hello," Miranda took his hand and begun to lead him towards the house. "I know the difference between a friendly hug and the hugs you reserve for me."

"Oh? Do tell."

"Whenever you hug someone who isn't me you place your arms around their shoulders, never above the neckline or below the shoulder blades. With me you always go for the waistline, and usually you rub up and down on my hips – right hand first, then left, then both together."

"Erm..." He scratched his head. "Wow."

"You know how observant I am," Miranda laughed, pulling him towards the door. "And by the way, there's a red bag that has some stuff in, you are banned from going in it."

"Ah-ha! My Christmas prezzies!"

Miranda opened the door. "Do not go looking."

"But..."

"Shepard!" Miranda gave him a wink. "No peeking!"


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N So here's a nice and fluffy chapter, trying something a little different here. Quite a bit of cheese, though the end is a bit more raunchy however I decided not to go full smut on this, not everyone enjoys it I know.**

**Also, I got quite a bit of Javik in this chapter. I like writing for him, there's going to be a lot more Javik from now on.**

**I'm away for a bit now so expect a new chapter in around about 2/3 weeks after this one.**

**18****th**** April 2189 – Crucible Pulse + 2 years and 7 months**

"Hmm, Crescent Nebula," Miranda nodded at Shepard from the co-pilots seat of the shuttle as it flew away from the Mass Relay, slowing from it's FTL travel speeds. "So, Illium then?"

Shepard sighed. "Well the cat's out of the bag then."

"Cat!" Both of them turned around to look at their daughter who was whacking the various plushy toys suspended over her travel seat. She turned to look at them before raising both eyebrows in a Miranda like way. "Where is cat?"

"Not quite Lizzie," Miranda smiled kindly at Elizabeth as she corrected her daughter. "Where is _the _cat?"

Elizabeth screwed her face up in concentration for a few seconds before repeating her mother's line. "Where is the cat?"

"Good girl! Though there isn't a cat I'm afraid," Shepard gave Elizabeth a huge smile before turning back to flying the shuttle, double checking the sensors for any traffic in front of him before setting course for Illium. "She's getting a hold of talking remarkably well."

"Yeah, but I feel bad about correcting her all the time," Miranda shook her head before correcting herself. "I don't want to be patronising, or strict."

"You aren't being either, trust me. Surely the only way she'll learn is if we instruct her, it's no different than a teacher correcting a pupil," Shepard gave her a reassuring look. "And you do it brilliantly well, she picks up on the mistakes and it's not at all like a telling off at all. You'd know if she didn't like it, it's clear she loves spending time with you."

"As long as it stays that way."

"I'm sure it will," Shepard paused for a few seconds before chuckling. "I do find it cute though."

"What?"

He smiled. "When she repeats stuff that we're saying, it's sweet."

"God," Miranda rolled her eyes at him. "If only everyone in the galaxy knew you were such a big softy, then no one would take any notice of you or you're commands."

"So that's why you never listen to me?" Shepard put on a look of mock hurt, pouting at Miranda as he continued the jape. "Note to self, act more intimidating."

"Not more intimidating, more manly."

"Excuse me, I am very manly indeed," Shepard narrowed his eyes comically. "Using power tools, being man of the house, making important decisions, having a very manly tough dog, that kind of stuff."

Miranda said nothing, instead she just shook her head slowly.

"What?"

She turned around to look at Elizabeth, sharing a significant look with her daughter.

"What do you reckon Lizzie? Is daddy really that tough?"

Elizabeth giggled before shaking her head. "No!"

"Oh I see how it is," Shepard sniffed loudly. "Ganging up on your poor old dad eh? Such a sad..."

"John!" Miranda shouted suddenly as she dived for the controls, hauling the shuttle up and out of the way of a freighter speeding away from Illium towards the Mass Relay. Once they were clear Miranda sat back in her seat, placing her head in her hands. "This is why I do the driving."

"We were miles away, at a safe distance." Shepard protested, acting innocently.

"Your definition of a safe distance is about two centimetres," Miranda gave him a glare. "The legal definition is somewhat greater."

"Yeah yeah," Shepard waved a hand dismissively. "Those are technicalities."

Miranda snorted. "Just because you're a Councillor doesn't make you above the law."

"Not true," Shepard sat up, puffing out his chest. "I am the law!"

"Uch," Miranda gave him a disapproving glare. "Despite the amount of his comics you read, you are not Judge Dredd."

"Am too."

"Am not."

"Am too."

"Am not."

"Am too, and you know it."

"Am not."

"Wait a second," Shepard raised an eyebrow in surprise. "This would mean that you've read my comics, right?"

"I may have had a flick through one when I was tidying up the other day," Miranda shook her head. "Banal stuff, not like your usually astute literature choices. Comics rot your brain, you know?"

"That's a bit childish for you Miri."

She challenged him with a grin. "You're childish."

"Yes," Shepard grinned. "I'm allowed to be a little childish."

Miranda rolled her eyes yet again. "Why do I put up with you?"

"Because I'm so handsome, rugged, and manly."

"Oh?" Miranda challenged him, allowing a grin to cross her lips. "I suppose you are a little bit handsome, though the manly is still up for debate."

Shepard sighed comically once more. "I can live with that I suppose."

"Good," Miranda turned back to face Elizabeth. "Now Lizzie, we're about to go towards the planet, the shuttle may be a little wobbly."

The toddler's cerulean eyes were filled with curiosity as she looked up at Miranda. "Wobbly?"

"Yes," Miranda smiled kindly. "Don't worry though, it's all normal."

"Where are we headed? Nos Astra?"

Shepard nodded his assent. "Yes."

"Which hotel?"

"We're not going straight to the hotel, we're actually making one stop first."

XXXXXXXX

Shepard pressed a finger to the doorbell, the buzzer of the apartment chiming like a traditional bell on Earth. A few seconds passed before the door was opened, the family being greeted by Liara.

"Shepard, Miranda," Liara smiled enthusiastically. "Good to see you again."

"Hey Liara," Shepard gave his friend a hug. "How's it going?"

"Not too bad thank you," Liara smiled kindly at Miranda before turning to Elizabeth who was seated in her hover-pram. "Hello Elizabeth."

"Hello, Aunty Liara," Elizabeth screwed her face up in concentration, seemingly searching for the correct words. "How you?"

"I'm very well," Liara turned back to them. "Come on in, I don't want to leave you on the doorstep. Javik is around somewhere. Javik? Come and make yourself sociable!"

Shepard exchanged a bemused glance with Miranda as they followed Liara inside, though Miranda quietly dropped down to correct Elizabeth on her sentence. The toddler smiled happily as she listened and learnt, repeating the correction several times in varying tones on interest.

"How are you? How are you?" She paused before looking up at Shepard with her deep blue eyes. "How are you?"

"I'm fine thank you," As Shepard pushed the hover-pram into the sitting room he saw Javik descending from the upstairs. "Hello Javik."

"Shepard, Lawson, child," The Prothean greeted them formally, nodding to each one in turn. "Welcome to our dwelling."

"Thanks for agreeing to this guys."

"To what?" Javik and Miranda spoke in unison and surprise.

Liara looked over at him. "Wait, you haven't told Miranda?"

"It was a surprise," He raised his eyebrow at the Asari. "You haven't told Javik?"

"It was a surprise," Liara placed a hand to her forehead. "Goddess, how embarrassing this is."

"I'll explain," Shepard turned to Miranda. "Basically, I know we're here for a family holiday, but I wanted to take you off for a romantic evening just for tonight. Liara agreed to look after Elizabeth tonight."

"Oh, I see," Javik turned to look at his partner. "You did not inform me of this Liara."

"I didn't want you to say no, if I didn't ask you then you couldn't say no," Liara gave him a little wink. "And you may enjoy it."

Meanwhile Shepard looked over to Miranda, still waiting for her to speak.

"Erm...wow," She took his hand. "That's really lovely John, but I'm not sure about leaving Lizzie alone."

"She won't be alone, Liara will be fine with her."

"We've never left her alone before though." Miranda protested.

"She's been left with Oriana and my mother plenty of times."

"Yes but..."

"Miranda," Liara interrupted them. "We will be fine with Elizabeth, she's always ever so good."

"Well...I suppose so," Miranda sighed as she conceded. "I'll leave you with her bag, it has spare clothes, food, some of her favourite toys. She's out of the nappy stage and almost into real pants but she sometimes has the occasional accident. You'll have to feed her in about an hour. She's speaking but, as you saw, she sometimes has trouble completing sentences. Make sure to correct her when..."

"Lawson!" Javik interrupted her. "Liara has said we will be fine with the human child, her word is enough. Go! Enjoy yourself!"

Everyone was silenced by Javik's unexpected outburst, Shepard was the first one to speak.

"Well, I guess that's us told."

"Erm...yes," Liara was still analysing Javik with an incredulous expression as she agreed. "I guess so."

"We'll be off then," Shepard knelt down in front of Lizzie. "Now Lizzie, be a good girl for aunty Liara and uncle Javik OK? We'll see you tomorrow."

He gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before standing up to allow Miranda access.

"Make sure you behave Lizzie," Miranda gave her a kiss as well before whispering. "Love you."

"C'mon then Miri, times a wasting."

"Yes, yes," Miranda rolled her eyes. "I better come now before I change my mind."

"Quick question before we go, Liara – heard anything about that Blue Suns raid? Or the reprisals the Alliance has launched?"

"No, nothing I'm afraid," Liara shook her head. "I have agents in place however."

"Great," Shepard nodded. "Thanks. See you later."

He placed an arm around Miranda as they headed out of the front door, Liara and Javik watching them leave after sharing their goodbyes. The Asari looked over at the Prothean, still with a bemused expression.

"You really are full of surprises Javik."

XXXXXXXX

"So where are you taking me exactly?"

"Well," Shepard grinned at her from the piloting seat of the skycar. "At first I thought an art gallery would be nice."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but then I thought it may be a bit dull."

Miranda raised an eyebrow. "Dull? For me, or you?"

"Definitely not for me, art's just not my thing," Shepard shook his head. "It's got to be something we can both enjoy together."

"Oh god, you're not taking me to some combat arena then are you?"

"Hah!" Shepard chuckled. "No, I didn't think you'd appreciate that. But before anything else we should check into our hotel."

"Hmm," Miranda had a sudden thought, and she fixed Shepard a narrow glare. "You better not have booked us into Azure."

"What if I have?"

"You irritating little..."

"Wow!" Shepard held up his hands in innocence. "I haven't, don't worry."

Shepard dropped the sky car down from the busy flight lanes towards the main hub of Nos Astra space port, heading towards a large high rise building in the shape of a pyramid like temple. On the top of the building _Hotel Armali _was emblazoned in gigantic gold lettering.

"The Armali?" A smile crept across Miranda's lips. "You realise that it is probably the second most exclusive hotel in the galaxy?"

"I thought it was the most exclusive," Shepard scratched his head. "What beats it?"

"The _Hotel Armali _actuallyin Armali, I've been there once," Miranda dropped her voice. "You cannot understand how incredible this place is, how luxurious it is."

Shepard smiled as he heard the rising enthusiasm in Miranda's tone. "Have I, by some miraculous chance, managed to do something good?"

"You have John Shepard," Miranda gave him a significant look. "Though you always manage to do good things. By miraculous chances."

Shepard headed towards the base of the pyramid, dropping the skycar down into the car park by the front entrance. They pulled their luggage out of the boot before heading inside, allowing the skycar to fly off and park itself. Entering the front doors Shepard couldn't help but gape, the building was incredible. Everything was marble, the floors, the walls, the ancient style pillars, and what wasn't marble was gilded with shimmering gold. Paintings and tapestries lined the walls, all labelled with the names of famous artists from various races.

He realised he had been standing still whilst Miranda had already made it over to the reception desk, and he hurried up to her. She rolled her eyes at him before approaching the Asari receptionist.

"Hi, we have a reservation."

"Good afternoon Madame, Sir," The Asari smiled kindly at them. "What is the name?"

"Shepard."

The Asari's mouth dropped slightly as she realised who was standing in front of her. Shepard couldn't help but grin as her eyes widened slightly, though he thought people would have been beginning to get over him. Miranda, who still had a rather low tolerance of the droves of women – and men – that fancied Shepard for their own, began to tap her foot impatiently, shaking the receptionist out of her daze.

"I'm sorry, hang on a second," She looked back down at her screen underneath the desk, pressing a few buttons. She looked up with a slightly more nervous smile. "Yes, we have you in the Imperial suite – our most luxurious accommodation. Krug?"

They followed her gaze to a Krogan in a suit who was approaching them. He stopped just next to them, giving a short bow, before taking all of their suitcases.

"Good afternoon." The Krogan was remarkably polite.

"Krug will take you to your room, The Imperial suite please Krug," The Asari turned back to them, handing over a pair of key cards. "Have a pleasant stay. If there is anything that you need, please do not hesitate to ask."

They followed Krug into a nearby elevator made of glass, watching him scan a card in and select the private floors at the top of the hotel. As the elevator began to rise the walls of the lift shaft gave way to glass panels, allowing a fantastic view across the entirety of Nos Astra for the guests.

Soon the elevator slowed, the doors pinging open behind them on the top floor. They followed the Krogan out of the lift and up one small flight of stairs to a landing to where three doors greeted them. On the left was a door marked Presidential suite and on the right was another called the Royal suite. The centre door was theirs though, and Krug opened it to allow them through.

The room was breathtaking, Shepard had never seen luxury like it. The entire roof was glass, like the skylight roof on the Normandy, with more marble pillars scattered along walls adorned with ancient style tapestries. There was a pair of water features on either side of the lounge area, and a balcony looking over to the star port on the far end.

"Wow," Shepard whistled in amazement before looking back at the Krogan. "Thank you."

"No, thank you Shepard. Because of you, I have a son," The Krogan bowed again. "Please enjoy your stay."

As the Krogan took his leave Miranda looked over to him with a bemused expression.

"Wow, a Krogan bell boy? How unusual," Miranda leaned into Shepard's shoulder, allowing him to place an arm around her. "And he was ever so nice to us."

"Well, I did save his race."

"Yeah, you're their glorious saviour," Miranda grinned. "Can you imagine loads of little Krogan babies singing nursery rhymes about you?"

"Oh very amusing," Shepard paused. "But freaky."

"Why don't we check out the rest of the place?"

They walked arm in arm into the bedroom, passing a kitchenette along the way, which was also amazing. The gigantic bed in the middle of the room was much like the one in their home, but it had a large love heart of rose petals in the centre. Miranda raised an eyebrow.

"Did you ask them to do that?"

"No," Shepard shook his head. "Though the fact that tonight was a romantic escape for us was mentioned."

"Ah, that would explain it then," He noticed a grin begin to spread across Miranda's face. "You know, it would be ever such a shame to spoil something that they obviously went to so much trouble to make."

"That's true," He played along with the joke. "It would be rather mean."

"Indeed, though that's what we're paying for."

"Actually, we're not paying," At the look of surprise on Miranda's face he explained. "They refused to take any money from me on this occasion, as their way of thanks."

"God, you could live off all the freebies you still get," She lowered her voice. "But, that makes it even worse to disturb such hard work."

"Ah, but consider this – the bed looks so comfortable that it would be a crying shame not to use it. And there's satin sheets."

"That's a good counterargument," Miranda began to slowly back away from him, swaying her hips seductively and giving him a steamy look. "So, I guess we've reached a decision?"

"I think so," Shepard nodded. "But lets not rush, there's things to do Miri."

"What?" She sighed. "You were getting me all worked up there."

"Sorry."

She looked up with an intrigued expression. "So are you going to take me off somewhere then?"

"Yep, there's actually a plan," He crossed his arms, giving her a grin. "Did you bring that red dress?"

XXXXXXXX

"Yes agent Terros, I want you to keep tailing those blue suns."

"Of course Shadow Broker," There was a pause from the Salarian operative. "Though if you want an agent inserted, I may not be best suited."

"That is obvious agent, I do not require you to tell me how to run my operation," Liara allowed her words to sink in, the voice modulator making them sound far more threatening than her real voice would allow for. "However you are doing good work, keep it up and you know what I can provide."

"I understand, thank you Shadow Broker. Agent Terros out."

"Shadow Broker out."

Liara closed down the comm link, which took several seconds longer than normal considering the fact it was being bounced through twenty six different star systems, and looked down at the smiling child in her lap.

"By the way Elizabeth, try not to tell anyone I'm the Shadow Broker."

Elizabeth looked up at her with a puzzled expression. "Shadow Broker?"

Liara chuckled. "C'mon little one, do you want something to eat or drink?"

"Juice please." Elizabeth nodded.

"All right then," Liara stood up, carrying Elizabeth with her, and walked from her office into the kitchen, pulling out a carton of orange juice. She set the child down onto a chair and pulled a pair of glasses out of a cupboard, filling them both with orange juice she had bought earlier that day. It wasn't until she had finished that she remembered that Elizabeth had her own plastic cups, she wasn't necessarily able to manage a glass. "Goddess, that was silly of me. Javik?"

It was a few seconds before Javik replied to her call as he entered the kitchen. "Yes Liara?"

"Do you want some juice?"

"This is different to usual, but I will try it," Javik took the glass as Liara began to fill up one of Elizabeth's plastic cups with juice, handing it to the child. The Prothean scowled at the glass before draining it's contents. "I do not like this drink at all, it tastes rather processed compared to the usual one."

"Actually it's the same brand, but I think they have changed their production methods," Liara tried a sip before grimacing herself. "I thought you were just being over fussy, but actually that's rather disgusting. What do you think Lizzie?"

The toddler wrinkled her nose up at the cup. "I don't like it."

"Well, we'll have to get you another drink," Liara looked through the fridge, though there wasn't anything else there other than milk. "We have some milk, but that is it I'm afraid."

"I have an idea," Javik pulled out a large pan and filled it with water, placing it on the cooker to begin to boil. Liara watched him with intrigue, they had been living together in the apartment for over two and a half years and she had seen him do many things she had originally not believed he would be interested in, but she had never seen him attempt to cook. "Liara, do we have any of that human candy?"

"Erm, yes I think so," She went into another cupboard, pulling out a couple of chocolate bars. She handed them to him with a quizzical expression. "What exactly are you doing?"

"I am making a hot chocolate, Shepard showed Vakarian and I how to do it on the Normandy."

Liara was impressed. And surprised. "Wow, you really are being adventurous today Javik."

She watched him place a second, smaller pan inside the first – filling it with the chocolate. Soon it began to melt and congeal in the bottom of the pan, but by then Javik added a generous helping of milk to the mixture. As he stirred it it began to form a much thinner, deep brown liquid, giving off a rather enticing smell. Liara suddenly recognised the smell from Shepard's occasional cooking on the Normandy, and she remembered the drink that it was caused by. After a few more minutes Javik pulled the pan off the cooker, pouring out the mixture into three mugs. Liara took a sip.

"Oh Goddess, why haven't you made this before?" Javik shrugged at Liara in response.

"There has never been a reason."

"Well, this is going to be a regular, it's delicious," Liara took another sip before looking down at Elizabeth who was happily guzzling on the hot chocolate. "What do you think Elizabeth?"

She looked up at them with a massive grin. "Mmm!"

Liara chuckled. "I think that is a vote of approval as well."

"Yes, so it seems," Javik picked up his mug, heading out of the room. "I need to finish preparing my lectures, apparently I have to talk about Prothean art but I know nothing of art. No, I do in fact - however my kind of art is Reaper blood splattered across the floor."

As he left the room Liara sat down next to Elizabeth's chair, giving the child a grin.

"You know, your uncle Javik really is a very strange being," Liara chuckled. "But goddess, I think that's why I love him."

Elizabeth grinned in reply before hauling up her cup towards Liara, it was already empty.

"More please!"

XXXXXXXX

"That was most definitely a lovely dinner," Miranda pressed a kiss to Shepard's cheek as they walked along the busy, illuminated Nos Astra streets. "Thank you."

"I think we should do this kind of thing more often, you agree?"

"You mean a holiday?"

"Not necessarily," He shook his head. "I mean going out on dates."

"Oh?" Miranda gave him a look of mock surprise. "How incredibly normal of you."

"No, I mean it," They moved along the walkway, quickly sidestepping a lumbering Elcor. "Once a week we should have a date night, go out and do something. Even if it's just a meal at Giovani's place, or going to see a movie."

"That actually sounds like a nice idea," Miranda nodded. "We can get someone to look after Lizzie and just go off. Actually, I really like the idea of having more nights like this."

"Well, this nights not over," Shepard ran a hand around her waist, stroking the smooth pale skin of her toned stomach revealed by the dress. "It's only young, as they say."

"That's too true," Miranda grinned. "There's a large comfy bed that's currently empty."

"How correct you are," Shepard pulled Miranda around to the right, walking past another set of busy restaurants to join another major, packed street. "But we're not quite ready for that."

"You're gonna make me wait even longer?" Miranda hummed with intrigue. "Clearly you have something good up your sleeve."

"Oh just maybe," Shepard pointed ahead of them, towards a large domed building with a wide flight of stone steps leading up to it. "You know what that building is right?"

"Of course I know what..." Miranda stopped dead in her tracks, a small gasp escaping her lips. "You got tickets? For us?"

"Uh-hu, two VIP tickets for the Bolshoi ballet performing Swan Lake at the Illium Grande Theatre."

"Oh my..." Miranda's face was lit up with genuine amazement, and Shepard savoured the moment. "It's my favourite ballet, my second favourite musical work after Nielsohn's fifth."

"Shows that I do listen sometimes eh?"

"Shows a hell of a lot more than that my love." Miranda linked her arms within his as they headed up the steps, walking through the arched doors into the foyer. The busy room was filled with all manner of species, all waiting around to be admitted for the beginning of the performance. Shepard led her straight through the throng of people to a roped off, rather grand staircase. The security guards there stepped aside without a moments hesitation, allowing the pair through. They were followed by many pairs of curious eyes, but neither cared that they were being watched.

"So we have the best box seat for the show, and refreshments at the interval," Shepard explained to her as they rounded a corner, heading through the bar area outside the box seats. "Afterwards we get to meet the dancers, orchestra leaders, and all the other blokes who put this together."

"John, I can't believe you referred to the organisers of what is reckoned to be the greatest ballet tour of the twenty second century as 'other blokes'," Miranda chuckled as they passed through another arch, red curtains held open by smartly dressed staff. It admitted them to their private box, right in the centre of the audience seats. "This is incredible."

"Glad I got it right," Shepard surveyed the theatre as the rest of the audience began to file in. "Possibly the richest group of people I've ever seen, I admit I don't fit in here at all."

"Naw, the big brave SPECTRE is going out of his comfort zone to impress me?" Miranda patted his leg. "That really is sweet."

"Yeah yeah."

"You do realise this has given you the biggest pile of brownie points in the history of the galaxy," Miranda flashed him a cocky grin. "Seriously, this is just amazing."

He gave her a wink in reply. "I'll look forward to collecting those brownie points this evening..."

"Most definitely," As the lights began to dim Miranda leant into him, allowing his hands to wrap around her shoulders as she made herself comfortable for the show. She gave him a final whisper before the music began. "But there's deductions is you fall asleep, and ten credits says you will."

XXXXXXXX

"Javik?"

Javik turned his head to watch the Asari enter the lounge. "Yes Liara?"

"I have to pop out for a couple of hours, it's quite important," Liara crossed her arms. "Will you be all right with Elizabeth?"

"I will manage," Javik looked down at the toddler sat next to him on the sofa, eyes glued ahead on the vid-screen on the wall. "Though I suspect Shepard and his mate will not be entirely pleased."

"It'll be fine, I think Shepard will trust you at least," Liara chuckled. "See it as practice for the future."

"What?" He looked up with surprise, all four eyes widening. "Really?"

"I'm pulling your leg, as humans put it," Liara turned to leave, giving the pair a quick wave. "See you both later."

She was almost at the door when Javik's call stopped her. "Liara?"

"Yes?"

"Do not go off doing anything dangerous."

"I know," Liara smiled to herself at Javik's concern. "Don't worry, it's nothing dangerous."

"Good."

As the door closed Javik looked down at the child next to him, she was still watching the vid-screen. He was surprised at the child's tastes, it certainly wasn't what was considered normal in this cycle. By his own research children in this current cycle enjoyed ridiculous programs populated by animated fictional characters and absurd story lines that were, in his opinion, rather patronising. Elizabeth seemed to dislike those however, she had been rather restless when Liara had put on one of the children's channels earlier on in the evening and her body telemetry had shown her to be bored. On a whim Javik had swapped it to a wildlife documentary and Elizabeth hadn't moved since. She had just sat there, listening and watching intently. That pleased Javik. Children of the Prothean cycle never wasted time watching pointless entertainment programs, instead they were encouraged to watch shows that would educate them, it didn't matter if it was for wildlife, history, or current affairs, as long as it increased their knowledge in a worthwhile subject.

"You are an intelligent and inquisitive child," Elizabeth turned to look at him with her striking, questioning eyes. "Those are very good traits in a youth, you must make sure you develop them thoroughly."

Elizabeth stayed quiet for a few seconds before pointing a finger at him and exclaiming loudly. "Uncle Javik!"

"No, I am just Javik."

"Oh," Elizabeth looked down for a few seconds before looking back up at him, speaking in a much quieter tone than before. "Javik?"

"Yes, that is better," Javik stroked his chin in thought for a few seconds. "Do you know what I am?"

There was a pause. "Javik?"

He shook his head. "No, what species am I?"

Elizabeth screwed her face up in concentration. Javik could sense she was trying to remember something, and he waited patiently for her to decide on an answer. She looked up at him.

"Pro...Prothan?"

"No, I am Prothean." He corrected her, though not unkindly.

"Prothean," She repeated with a determined expression. "Uncle Javik is Prothean."

"Yes, that is correct," Javik gave a genuine smile, happy to help educate the child. "Though I am not an uncle, I am of no relation to you."

"Dada says you are uncle Javik."

"Oh, I see."

As Elizabeth returned to watching the vid, which had now progressed onto the observations of the native herbivores of Thessia, Javik opened up a search function on his omni-tool. He typed in his query, but it took several seconds for it to begin searching the extranet. Prothean technology would have done it instantaneously.

"Come on, you primitive machine! So slow," He sighed loudly. "I do miss Prothean technology, even after several years of these basic machines."

He waited another few seconds for the results of his search, and he was surprised with the results.

"That's strange, humans often make their friends aunts and uncles of their children – or so it seems," He looked down at Elizabeth, she was watching him again. "How curious."

Elizabeth nodded and agreed with him. "Curious."

"Well, it seems that I am your 'uncle Javik' according to human ideals," Javik let out a rare chuckle. "How strange."

They sat on the sofa in silence for the next half hour, both getting rather engrossed in the documentary. When it finished Elizabeth actually looked a little sad, she had clearly enjoyed the programme. Javik checked the chronometer on his omni-tool, realising just how late it was.

"Oh, it is rather late," Javik looked down at Elizabeth. "Are you tired child?"

She shook her head. "No."

"I see," Javik nodded as another documentary began on the vid-screen. "When you are then let me know, I shall take you to bed."

Once again she understood his meaning, he was indeed surprised at the intelligence of the child for her very young age. "OK."

As the next programme began Javik couldn't help but let his mind wander, particularly around Liara's earlier sentence. Could they have a child? Of course he knew they could have one, but should they? He got on well with her, and she was very attractive, but could he make that ultimate leap of faith? Obviously he had never pictured this kind of life, not even with one of his own kind – he had always thought to have been a soldier destined to die on the battlefield against the Reapers. Now he could choose otherwise, however.

"I think I have made my decision," His four eyes met with Shepard's daughter's once more. "Though only if she turns out like you. I could not deal with an unintelligent child."

XXXXXXXX

"So, what happens tomorrow?"

"Well," Shepard drummed his fingers against Miranda's shoulders as they ascended in the elevator. Unfortunately it was rather busy, the elevator was full and stopping every few floors, but they were desperate to get back to their room. "We collect Lizzie in the morning and then I was thinking we'd go to this brand new aquarium in the centre of town. It's incredible, they have nearly every kind of fish from loads of different planets there."

"Oh she'll love that," Miranda grinned at him. "You'll love it too, I guess."

"I know, what a shame," He took another look at the control panel, thirty more floors to go. "And the next day, I was thinking we'd go to this zoo that's on the outskirts of the city. They have everything there as well, even Polar Bears!"

"You really are a bit nuts, you know that?" Miranda shook her head in disbelief. "Anything non-animal related for the other couple of days?"

"Well, I suppose you'll want to go shopping?" Miranda nodded enthusiastically, prompting Shepard to chuckle. "And there'll be some really good museums, I mean ones that are actually interesting."

"I don't think you would find many museums that interesting John," She furrowed her brows. "Sometimes it seems like Illium has everything."

"They don't have much in the way of good beer on this planet."

"Fussy."

Shepard leaned in closely. "Says the girl who'll only buy lingerie from a handful of particular brands."

"Do you know why that is?" Shepard shook his head, and Miranda leant in to whisper. "Because only a few brands do stuff that's stretchy enough to fit over my ass!"

Shepard was silent for a few seconds before breaking out into uncontrollable laughter, drawing curious looks from the other occupants of the lift. Miranda glared at him for a few seconds before cracking a smile, eventually breaking down into giggles herself.

"You know, I don't think that's a problem. Your ass is rather epic and..." Shepard trailed off as the final occupants of the elevator left, the doors closing to leave the pair alone. Almost immediately Shepard crashed his lips into Miranda's, she pushed back at him and forced his back into the wall of the elevator.

Shepard lost track of the time as he fought against Miranda's lips, his hands running all along her back and down to her rear. Miranda was paying a bit more attention, and she heard the lift and pulled him out of it towards the suite. They stumbled up the steps, still entwined with one another, and slammed into the door, Miranda attempting to use one hand to open the door behind her. Eventually she succeeded, the pair tumbling into the suite.

Miranda broke away from him, rather reluctantly, and closed the door, before taking his hand and pulling him into the bedroom. Shepard jumped onto the bed, shedding his dinner jacket along the way, and began to remove his shoes. Miranda threw all her weight on one hip, putting on a smouldering gaze, and attracting Shepard's eyes once more. He surveyed her in that red dress, though he was already undressing her in his mind.

"Shepard, I know what you're doing," Miranda winked at him. "But hold on for a minute, I'll change into something...different."

She gave him another wink before heading into the bathroom, giving him a sway of the hips before closing the door. Shepard stripped off his dinner suit, casting it onto the ground next to the bed. He lay across the bed as he waited for Miranda to come out of the bathroom. She came out after a few minutes, and he got a hell of a surprise.

"What the..." He paused. "Was it always that snug?"

Miranda was in her old catsuit, the old catsuit. It clung to her every curve, tight on every inch of her skin. His eyes travelled from up her long slender legs to her hips and the space in between her legs, examining the tight outline of her...

"Shepard! Should you really stare at a lady's...VIP zone...like that?" He looked up to the source of the teasing voice, meeting Miranda's grin with one of his own. "It's really not very gentleman like."

"Oh, I'm so very sorry Miss Lawson," Shepard's eyes remained locked on Miranda's as she began to slowly crawl onto the bed towards him. "It's just too hard to resist."

"Oh?" Miranda pushed his body down onto the pillows, climbing atop of him. "I am."

"Oh yes you are," Shepard's eyes roamed her torso as he rubbed his hands along her hips, watching her chest sway as she ground her hips against his own. "You're just unbelievable."

"I know."

They kissed once more for a couple of frenzied sections before Shepard stopped.

"Wait a second, were you being serious about the lingerie?"

"Well, in a way. I do have to get the ones with stretchier fabric on the back section with certain styles of underwear – particularly with bikinis, boy shorts, and those kind of things. I have just too much ass for many normal sizes, " Miranda paused as Shepard laughed. "The main reason I buy from special brands is that I like to get it all made to design. I like to choose the fabric, the style, how revealing it is..."

He raised an eyebrow, this was something he had never realised. "Why?"

"To get something that'll impress you the most."

Miranda placed a hand up to the top of her zip, pulling it down a couple of inches to tease him before leaning forward to catch him in a passionate lip lock. She straightened up again, pulling the zip all the way down to reveal her chest to him in a rather flamboyant red bra – one that he had indeed never seen before. It was the exact kind of thing he would recommend to her, if he had ever been underwear shopping with her that is.

"Oh my god, I see what you mean," Shepard couldn't get the grin off his face. "Get the rest of that suit off now Lawson!"

"Yes commander."

**A/N As ever, thanks so much for reading and please leave your opinions/critiques for me – they're what I feed off to write this. **


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